


Under Control

by tomahawk_swing



Category: Rockman.EXE | Mega Man Battle Network
Genre: Angst, CrossFusion, Fluff and Angst, Gen, Hospitalization, I don't know how much i can tell here without spoiling all the plot twists x), NaNoWriMo, this fic has it all !!, would you like some angst with your bromance?
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-01
Updated: 2019-12-18
Packaged: 2021-02-26 03:20:50
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 24
Words: 51,047
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21636526
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tomahawk_swing/pseuds/tomahawk_swing
Summary: On Laika's recommendation, Dingo has joined the NetSaviors. The two of them partner up on Dingo's first official mission - the exploration of an alleged DarkChip factory. It should have been an easy mission, a quick insight in the NetSaviors' routine.But the enemy is always one step ahead ...
Comments: 37
Kudos: 16





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This fic is actually a retelling of an old RP thread, that I really wanted to re-explore into fic form for my 2019 NaNoWriMo. As such, the entire work is over 51k words ... If you do read it until the end, thanks a lot and congratulations :')  
> The pace might get a little slow at times, but each chapter focuses on one scene. Don't hesitate to skim through the parts that seem a little too boring ^^' 
> 
> I'll be slowly proof-reading every chapter, and publishing them when they're ready. Stay tuned for updates \o/ And keep in mind that English isn't my first language, so mistakes might still slip past my attention. Don't hesitate to point them out in the comments !
> 
> This is also my first time writing and publishing such a long work, so I really hope it's not too messy ! After 5 and a half years of RPing Dingo and Tomahawkman, I still feel very unconfident when writing other characters ;-; 
> 
> In any case, thank you in advance for your time ! Any kind of feedback will be extremely welcome, positive and negative ^^ Have a nice read ♥

Dingo felt unusually nervous. He walked with his hands in his sweater's pocket, his shoulders hunched, one hand tightly closed around his PET.

"You think he'll be there already ? I bet he came like, half an hour early." Dingo grumbled. "And he's gonna rub it in my face."

"Stop complaining !" Tomahawkman retorted, his hologram already standing on Dingo's shoulder. "You're not even late yet, but you'll be if you keep whining."

"You stop whining ! You're not the one who's gotta walk all the way. All you do is stand there and get on my nerves !" Dingo ranted. He saw Tomahawkman roll his eyes, but neither of them kept on arguing. They both knew that they were too stubborn to admit their own faults.

Dingo was supposed to meet his partner in front of a large, seemingly abandoned warehouse near the docks. He had been given the exact coordinates, but as usual, he refused to so much as glance at a map. Tomahawkman had input the coordinates into the PET's GPS system, but Dingo threatened to throw the device away if Tomahawkman tried to give him directions.

"That's gotta be the place." Dingo decided, gesturing to a large building ahead. The warehouse certainly seemed abandoned, with most of its windows broken, and holes in its walls. It stood out amongst the renovated docks, and judging by the signs that were posted right by the warehouse, it was set to be destroyed in the near future.

"It looks like it. The entrance must be on the other side, though." Tomahawkman pointed out. "You'll have to walk around."

Dingo took a quick glance at his PET, and shook his head. "I still got five minutes. I wanna try and take a look inside."

Ignoring the questioning glances he earned from his Navi, Dingo set out to find the nearest set of windows. They were all a few meters above his head, out of reach - for someone who wasn't equipped.

Dingo reached for the long piece of rope he always kept wrapped around his waist. He tied the end of it to his trustworthy tomahawk, and threw the latter in a controlled motion. The blade got caught in the ledge of a broken window, allowing Dingo to use the wall for support, and climb up the wall.

In a few seconds, Dingo climbed high enough to take a quick glance through the window. The warehouse was far from empty - in fact, Dingo could see movement inside of it.

"There's conveyer belts …" Dingo muttered. He heaved himself just high enough for Tomahawkman to see from his shoulder. "See ? They're moving. Something's happening inside."

"That's exactly why we're here, but this isn't a solo mission, remember ?" Tomahawkman was extremely curious about what he'd seen, but he didn't want to let Dingo get away with his reckless behavior. "Get down and go meet your teammate. The NetPolice said that you have to tag along with someone on your first mission, and you'd better not let them down."

"Why're you saying _I'll_ let them down ? We're on the same team !" Dingo hissed. "If I fail, you fail too."

"Then let's both do our best. By the way, you're three minutes late now."

Dingo cursed under his breath, and let himself slide down the wall again. He retrieved his rope and tomahawk, and hurried around the warehouse.

Just like Dingo had guessed, his teammate had already arrived. A tall figure waited by the warehouse's entrance, their face partly hidden under in their beret's shadow. Blue eyes scanned their surroundings, and the soldier quirked an eyebrow when his gaze fell upon Dingo.

"You are late." Laika commented, in a matter-of-fact tone. He didn't sound surprised at all.

"I was there on time ! I swear !" Dingo argued, a deep frown tugging at his traits. "I went on a reconni … reconna … You know. I checked the warehouse out. It's definitely not empty."

Laika's expression changed from disappointment to slight surprise - in a positive sense. He had accepted this mission with slight apprehension, but perhaps Dingo would turn out to be a more valuable partner than Laika imagined. He was the one who had appointed Dingo to the chief of the NetPolice, based on their past interactions - and based on a little bit of a hunch, which Laika didn't want to admit. It was only natural that he'd be the one to partner up with Dingo, on the latter's first mission.

"The word you are looking for is “reconnaissance”. You could have waited until we officially started this mission." Laika still scolded, not wanting to go easy on Dingo so quickly. "What if someone inside had spotted you ? You could have compromised the whole mission before it even began."

"I didn't see anyone inside. Just conveyer belts. This whole thing's running all by itself, I'm sure." Dingo insisted, returning the intense glare Laika was giving him. He hid his nervousness under layers of determination, and the conviction that this mission couldn't possibly go wrong. If he messed up, his time as a NetSavior would be short-lived.

"… That would not be surprising." Laika admitted. As much as he disapproved of Dingo's methods, he was curious to discover what the warehouse contained. "The NetPolice suspects that this warehouse is a DarkChip factory in disguise. We will have to be careful as we get in. Even if there is no human presence inside, the conveyer belt must be under strict security. They could have Navis monitoring it, and Copyroids."

Dingo nodded, aware of the mission's stakes. He had heard of DarkChips before, and knew that the NetPolice was actively hunting down anyone who tried to make them - or even just sell them. They were the Cyberworld's drugs.

The duo approached the warehouse's front doors. They looked just as old and rusty as the rest of the building, and a heavy lock kept them shut tight.

"Searchman, scan the area for any security cameras. We can't have the enemy know that we're here." Laika muttered in his earpiece.

In the meantime, Dingo reached for the lock, and heaved it up in one hand. It had to weigh several kilos.

"Alright … I got this." Dingo decided. In another impulse that only he knew, he grabbed his tomahawk, and raised it high above his head.

"What are you doing, you -?!" Laika exclaimed, and was interrupted by the deafening clang of metal hitting metal.

Dingo had brought his tomahawk down onto the lock, expecting his blade to tear through the rusty metal. The lock might be old, and Dingo believed himself to be rather strong, but his strength and weapon were no match for the heavy lock.

The shockwave sent Dingo jumping back a meter, hissing and cursing in pain. He dropped his tomahawk, one hand immediately rushing to the opposite wrist.

All Laika could do was stare at his partner, with all the disapproval he could muster. "No sign of movement inside ?" He asked his Navi, his concerns for the mission quickly taking over his appalment at Dingo's antics.

"None, Laika-sama." Searchman confirmed. "I have not located any security cameras around the warehouse, either."

"Perfect." Laika gave a glance at the lock. It would take a metal saw, or perhaps a laser to tear through it. This would be no issue with CrossFusion, but it was too early to call in for a Dimensional Area. Laika wouldn't let himself resort to the easiest means so easily.

"… We can get in through the back. Windows're all busted." Dingo suggested, massaging his sore wrist. His cheeks were still red from embarrassment, and he was eager to make up for the time he'd already lost making a fool of himself.

Laika considered the suggestion for a few seconds, and was once again surprised by Dingo’s observational skills.

"Very well. We can expect them to have their security system focused around the front door, in any case." The soldier admitted. He felt a little foolish for not thinking of that eventuality any sooner.

"We just have to find a window large enough for us to slip in." Dingo explained. He let Laika take the lead around the warehouse, already preparing his rope and tomahawk into a grappling hook again.

It didn't take too much exploring for them to find the perfect entrance into the warehouse - a gaping hole in the wall, where a window must have been before. The entire frame had fallen out, leaving a passage just wide enough for a human being to fit through.

Before Laika could question their way of climbing, Dingo made his tomahawk spin around the end of the rope, and tossed it in an expert motion. Once again, the weapon found its way to the ledge, and remained safely stuck there, allowing the rope to endure the weight of a human body.

"You go first." Dingo gestured, not doubting that Laika could climb up the wall with just a piece of rope. He was a soldier, after all.

Laika remained dubious for a moment, wondering why this 13-something-year-old was so resourceful. He had already noticed it during their time in Beyondard. Dingo's survival skills were remarkable, and his determination was admirable as well. It was only a shame that they came with a blatant lack of common sense, and a propension to making incredibly stupid decisions.

Shaking off his thoughts, Laika easily made his way to the top of the rope. He took a moment to observe his surroundings, and let his Navi do some reconnaissance as well. When Searchman confirmed that no cameras were directed at this specific spot in the warehouse, Laika heaved himself over the ledge, and leapt down with ease.

Dingo joined him fast, and retrieved his tomahawk before he made his way down. His eyes had trouble adjusting to the darkness, and he fumbled to untie his rope from his tomahawk. He wrapped the rope around his waist again, but kept his weapon in one hand, just in case.

They had landed behind a pile of wooden boxes, remnants of the times when this warehouse was used as storage space. In the distance, Laika and Dingo could spot slight movement, and hear a faint electric sound.

"The NetPolice was right. This is a factory." Laika whispered. "And a very large one, it seems."

"We should just blow it up." Dingo suggested. Judging by the smirk on his face, he already knew Laika's answer, but kept a sliver of hope.

"We can't. Before we dismantle it, we have to figure out who is operating it. If there are any humans behind this scheme, we must locate them and arrest them."

Dingo was disappointed, but not surprised. "Alright. So what now ? We just walk around and try to find out if anyone's here ?"

"We are the only humans in this warehouse. Searchman has already confirmed that much." Laika explained. "There are a few security cameras, but their own security system is rudimentary, at best. Disabling them will be an easy task. Once that is done, we can inspect the warehouse from up close. We will then try and identify any hints linking back to the criminals who are making profit from it."

"So … we plug our Navis in, destroy the cameras, and then we explore." Dingo repeated. "Sounds good to me. Maybe we should split up, it'll be faster."

Laika nodded, and pointed in the direction of a few cameras hidden here and there. "Remember to disable them, not destroy them entirely. This might trigger the alarms."

Dingo ignored the pointed glare Laika gave him, and moved away from the soldier. He could be quite stealthy, when he made some efforts.

"You know how to disable the cameras, right ?" Dingo whispered into his PET, his eyes set on one of the cameras Laika had indicated.

"… I think, yeah." Tomahawkman's own strategy was usually to wreck the servers with a good swing of his axe, but for once, the Navi found himself wanting to think before he acted on his impulses. He gave Dingo a final nod, and his hologram disappeared from Dingo's shoulder.

Dingo pointed his PET at the camera, and plugged his Navi in without a word. A ray of laser red light hit the camera's plug-in receptor, and Tomahawkman materialized inside the camera's server, his axe already replacing his right forearm.

The duo expected an alarm to start blaring, the moment Tomahawkman set foot inside the camera's server, but there wasn't a noise to be heard. Just like Laika had guessed, the camera had a rudimentary computer system, with a central command panel already flashing in front of the server's core. It was almost too easy …

Dingo threw a glance at the surrounding darkness, and spotted Laika's mint hair just a few meters away. The soldier was already moving onto a second camera, and spared no second to search for his partner. Grumbling under his breath, Dingo focused back on his own task.

"Go see what's up with that control panel. Maybe we can deactivate the camera from there." Dingo instructed.

Tomahawkman nodded, and hurried towards the camera's mainframe. He remained on high alert, ready to attack if the enemy showed itself. The server was oddly silent, so silent that it was suffocating.

"It's not even locked." Tomahawkman noticed, as he typed a few commands on the camera's screen with his remaining hand. It didn't take him long to access the camera's settings, and to disable the feed completely. "There's no password, nothing … Either they thought nobody'd ever come this far, or they're just messing with us."

Dingo sincerely wished for the first option to be right, but it seemed unlikely. Even without any experience as a NetSavior, he could say for sure that the enemy wasn't that stupid - and his instincts, as he claimed, were never wrong.

"Let's move on." Dingo decided, trying to shake off his increasing sense of uneasiness. "Might as well deactivate them all while we're here."

He plugged Tomahawkman out, and silently headed for the next camera. It was a repeat of their first strategy, the camera's system proving to have no security whatsoever. Dingo completed his round, and met Laika on the opposite side of the warehouse.

"It's weird. They were all unlocked." Dingo explained.

"As if they never expected anyone to pay this warehouse a visit … Or as if they wanted to make our jobs easier." Laika completed, echoing Dingo's previous thoughts. "This is not a good sign."

The duo stood up again, and Laika muttered a few instructions into his earpiece again. "Look out for any activity in the Cyberworld near here.” He told his Navi. “We'll inspect the conveyer belt on our side, then send you to explore its cyber-system."

"Tomahawkman'll come with him." Dingo suggested. "If the enemy's hiding somewhere, it's gonna be in there. And they probably know we're here already …"

Laika found no argument to object, and raised his PET to shine its flashlight on the warehouse. The conveyer belt was surrounded with small machines, their robotic arms working on small, rectangular-shaped items - BattleChips of a very specific kind.

"DarkChips." Laika confirmed. At the end of the conveyer belt, several boxes were already filled with the corrupted Chips, waiting for shipment.

"There's gotta be people coming here to get those boxes." Dingo pointed out, using his own PET to light up the boxes. "There's enough Chips to make a whole army of Darkloids already …"

"Indeed. Either this factory has only been operating for a little while, or many boxes like these have already been shipped into the world." Laika's concern was more obvious than he wanted to show. Dread took over his traits, as he thought of another eventuality. "Perhaps we've arrived too late, and they are ready to give up on this supply source …"

"We gotta see what's going on inside those machines." Dingo reminded his partner, trying to figure out the implications of Laika's last suggestion. "Even if they don't care what happens to this place anymore, maybe they've left some hints behind."

Laika nodded, and found himself appreciating Dingo's optimism. "You're right. We should investigate every lead."

The two NetSaviors headed for the conveyer belt, and split paths again to try and look for the system's core. The belt was still assembling more DarkChips, pouring a fragment of Dark Aura into each of them - a fragment of the Undernet's very essence. A single of these Chips would make any normal Navi go crazy.

"Found it !" Dingo called from one end of the belt, gesturing for Laika to come over. A large computer unit stood beside the beginning of the conveyer belt, and the assembly line began there.

Laika gave the computer a quick glance. The information displayed on the screen was purely technical - settings for each of the conveyer belt's parts, coding lines for the robotic arms' movements …

Laika easily found the computer system's access plug, and readied his PET just as Dingo brandished his. The system's secrets were waiting in the Cyberworld.

Two rays of laser light shot from the PETs, and met on the computer plug. Searchman and Tomahawkman materialized side by side inside the server, and both made a beeline for the system's control panel in the middle of the area.

"Searchman, look for all the information you can gather on this system, and the Navis who have come into contact with it before." Laika instructed, with a glance at Dingo. He had been about to issue commands for Tomahawkman as well, but he figured that Dingo should learn to find his place amongst this team.

Dingo caught the glance he was addressed, and felt his cheeks redden with slight nervousness. "Tomahawkman, you … you should inspect the server. Maybe we'll find leftover data or something … And you can keep an eye on the surroundings. So the enemy doesn't catch us off guard."

Laika gave a very short nod, just enough for Dingo to spot it. He knew that Laika could have very well handled this mission all by himself, and he didn't want to be a dead weight. This was his chance to prove what he was worth.

Tomahawkman went on to explore the area, but it quickly became clear that it had nothing to offer, except for what data Searchman might find inside the mainframe.

The two operators waited as Searchman processed the data, each with their own amount of patience. Laika stood motionless, his eyes scanning every single line of code that popped up on his PET's holographic screen, while Dingo paced around relentlessly, trying to resist the urge to give the conveyer belt a good kick.

A distraction finally came, in the shape of two figures that materialized inside the conveyer belt's servers. Dingo perked up, a smirk tugging at his lips. Finally, some action !

"Tomahawkman !" He called, his attention fully focused on his PET. The intruders were two heel Navis, busters primed, each pointing at a different target.

"On it !" Tomahawkman called. He rushed towards the heel Navis, his axe already brought above his shoulders. In a powerful swing of his arm, he sent the blade flying at the enemy, hoping to catch both their attentions while Searchman finished to transfer all the data.

The Navis directed their cannons at Tomahawkman, without even trying to dodge his incoming blade. They fired a few shots, which Tomahawkman easily dodged by leaping his into the air.

The young Navi watched his weapon slice through the first heel Navi's stomach, deleting them in one hit. The other was luckier, and seemed to regain some sense as they saw their comrade fade away. The dark Navi jumped back, and the axe missed them by only a few inches.

Tomahawkman caught his axe as it flew back to him, and made sure to keep the other Navi's line of fire far away from Searchman. Another heel Navi materialized, replacing their fallen comrade.

"Keep it up, Tomahawkman ! These guys are stupidly weak !" Dingo encouraged. He had a few BattleChips on standby, but he believed in his Navi's inner abilities. BattleChips were only meant to be used as support, just in case Tomahawkman momentarily lost his primary weapon.

Energized, Tomahawkman engaged in close combat, knowing that it was his best chance at keeping the heel Navis busy. He didn't pause to wonder why the enemy hadn't sent its whole army at once, or why the heel Navis didn't even try to take a shot at Searchman instead.

"I'll delete them in one chop !" Tomahawkman claimed. He did exactly that, and sliced through another heel Navi while the other took aim. A buster shot caught Tomahawkman in the shoulder, but it was all the heel Navi could do, before he met the same fate as their two companions.

"Is that all you've got ?" Tomahawkman sneered. Two more heel Navis materialized, as if they had heard his words.

"This is strange." Laika commented, breaking Dingo out of his adrenaline-induced trance. "If they have that many soldiers on standby, why not send them after us all at once ?"

Dingo took a second to consider the soldier's words. "Maybe they keep thinking they can beat us with just two Navis."

"That is illogical. They have also not attempted to stop Searchman from stealing their data." Laika went on, the cogs of his mind working at full speed. "We cannot do anything with this data until we decrypt it, but perhaps it will turn out to be worthless …"

"We should just do what I said. Get that data just in case, and blow up the factory." Dingo suggested in full seriousness. "If they really don't care 'bout this place anymore, we'd even be doing them a favor by destroying it."

Laika was starting to find some sense in Dingo's suggestion. The enemy was just messing with them, making this server's mysterious data dangle in front of them like a prize - a prize that might turn out to be of no value at all.

"Very well. Searchman, how long until the data transfer is complete ?"

"Only nine minutes, sir."

Laika looked down at Dingo : "Can your Navi hold on for nine more minutes ?"

Dingo frowned in response : "Who d'you think we are ? We could hold on for nine hours !"

His bragging wasn't entirely baseless, as Tomahawkman kept a complete upper hand over the enemy. He had deleted three more heel Navis while the operators spoke, and not taken another hit.

Dingo felt a twinge of disappointment. So this was what being a NetSavior was also like : following false leads, and going home without anything to feel proud about. No interesting stories, no epic fights. He wouldn't be saving the world from evil every single day.

A rumbling noise made Laika and Dingo look up. They both witnessed the area around themselves taking a strange, iridescent hue, as if their surroundings had been plunged into a rainbow.

Dingo's mouth dropped open. "Is that …?"

"…A Dimensional Area !" Laika completed Dingo's sentence, dread taking over his traits. This wasn't normal. He had not called in for reinforcements, and the enemy should not possess any Dimensional Generators anymore.

A realization suddenly struck Laika. This factory wasn't a mere decoy. The enemy wasn't trying to push them towards dead ends and false leads.

This factory was a trap.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you have survived the first chapter, congratulations !  
> The action really begins now :3c

"They were a step ahead of us this whole time." Laika cursed. He saw Dingo look at him, confusion all over his traits, and explained : "They weren't trying to make us waste our time. They wanted us here, right now … So they could trap us in."

Laika wondered who their target had been. Did the enemy know that he would be the NetSavior in charge, and targeted him in particular, or were they only hoping to get rid of one thorn in their side ? In the second case, the enemy was lucky. This should have been a solo mission.

"What now ? Should we CrossFuse ?" Dingo asked. He could tell that Laika was trying his best to stay calm, but the emotion he felt was nothing like panic. He was eager, almost giddy to get some proper action.

"No. Let's wait and see what kind of threat they send after us now." Laika decided. Figures were already materializing in the darkness, the pixels that formed their bodies illuminating the space around them.

A group of three heel Navis made their entrance, fueled by DarkChips that might have just been made in this very warehouse. Unlike their predecessors in the factory's server, these ones seemed to be cut for an intense battle. They all had their busters primed already, and didn't waste any time evaluating the situation. They fired a round of shots, and Laika only had time to throw himself at Dingo, pushing them both to the ground.

"Can we CrossFuse _now_ ?!" Dingo hissed, pushing Laika's arm off of his back. He and Laika took cover behind the conveyer belt, while the soldier devised a new plan.

"I do not want to abort Searchman's data gathering. There has to be a way for us to solve this by ourselves."

Dingo recalled hearing Netto complain about Laika's initial stance on CrossFusion, and found himself wishing that his friend had been there now, so he could smack some sense into the soldier again. He couldn't have Tomahawkman abandon Searchman inside the conveyer belt's server, even if the heel Navis there still didn't seem interested in stopping Searchman from copying the data.

An idea struck Dingo. As much as he liked the power CrossFusion gave him, he also liked the challenge of fighting a bunch of heel Navis with his bare hands.

"We could crush them." He whispered, nodding at the boxes that were piled up all around the warehouse. "One of us distracts them, the other runs around and pushes the boxes on their ugly mugs."

Laika's ideas were all a lot more complicated. They had only little time before the enemy decided to bust them out of their hiding spot. He had a silent nod, and gestured for Dingo to stay here. The kid was short and agile, and should be able to escape getting blasted off to smithereens - or so Laika chose to believe.

Dingo waited until Laika had crawled away, and leapt out of his hiding spot like a jack-in-the-box.

"Hey, Darkloids ! Your opponent is me !" He yelled, waving a fist at the three attackers. He ducked behind another section of the conveyer belt, and felt the blast of a shot nearly graze his back. These heel Navis were still stupid programs, but they weren't sparing their shots.

Dingo peeked above the conveyer belt, trying to spot Laika amidst the darkness. He couldn't see anything but the three heel Navis, and thought that it was a good sign.

Another idea crossed his mind. Dingo reached for his tomahawk, and stared at the weapon for a moment. He might regret tossing it so early into the battle, but it was his only chance at landing at least one hit. His pride was begging for that much.

Dingo crawled around the conveyer belt, until he was far enough from his initial spot to surprise the enemy. He stood up again, and picked one of the three heel Navis as his target. He had only a few seconds before they spotted him and resumed fire.

"Eat that !" Dingo screeched, tossing his weapon with all the force he could muster. The tomahawk flew in a perfect straight line, and lodged itself right in the middle of the heel Navi's face.

Dingo wasn't given much time to relish in his small victory. He ducked again with a short yelp, slamming a hand over his hood to keep it from falling off his head. The remaining two heel Navis reacted with a slight delay, and it was Dingo's only saving grace.

The sound of buster shots came to a sudden halt, when an even louder noise filled the warehouse. Two wooden boxes tumbled onto the heel Navis, burying them under a shower of scrap pieces of metal. They were both forced to log out, along with their fallen comrade.

Dingo stood up again, whistling in awe.

"Good thing these boxes weren't empty." He admitted. The thought only occurred him now - the less he thought about the details of his plans, the more chances of success they had. Dingo would never admit to having luck.

"Indeed." Laika commented, dusting his uniform off. He picked up something from the floor, and walked over to his partner.

"I believe that this is yours." Laika handed Dingo his tomahawk, and even allowed a smile to tug at his lips. "Nice aim, by the way."

Dingo took the weapon with care, and returned Laika's smile. "Thanks. I got years of practice."

Laika raised a dubious eyebrow, but chose not to question Dingo's claim. He could finally take a glance at his PET, and was relieved to find that the data transfer was complete and successful.

"I have gathered all the data I could find." Searchman confirmed. "However, one of the files was not encrypted."

"Really ? What does it say ?" Laika asked, both curious and anxious to know the answer.

"NetPolice, beware. Lord Shademan will rise again." Searchman read out loud. Behind him, Tomahawkman could be seen trying to take a peek at the message.

"Shademan ? That bat-like evil overlord ?" Tomahawkman asked. "I saw pictures of him in the NetPolice’s database. Wasn't he deleted a while ago ?"

"That is what we assumed. He was deleted at the hand of another enemy." Laika explained. The message confirmed his initial thought - the enemy hadn't been targeting a NetSavior in particular.

"Sorry to interrupt, but something's wrong." Dingo gestured around himself. "The Dimensional Area's still here. Ain't it supposed to go away once we beat the bad guys ?"

Laika looked up from his PET, concern taking over his usually inexpressive traits. "You're right. If these heel Navis were all the enemy had in store for us today, then surely, the Dimensional Area would have faded by now …"

"You might want to take a better look at that message, then." A cold voice rose from behind the two NetSaviors, making Dingo jump.

The simple sound of that voice was enough to made one's blood curl. It was a deep, hypnotic voice - a voice that oozed with the purest form of evil.

"You're …" Laika's words died in his throat. He had figured out the voice's identity before he even turned around.

"Shademan !" Dingo realized. He might have never seen the Darkloid lord before, but he didn't need a picture to guess who he was. He fitted the short description Tomahawkman had given. From the clawed wings to the fangs that protruded from his jaw, everything about this Navi activated Dingo's fighting instincts.

This Darkloid was bad news.

"Correct." The Darkloid sneered. "I see you've enjoyed the riddles so far, puny humans."

He gestured to the mess of wood and metal, where his minions had met their demise earlier. "This factory is no longer useful to us, and as such, it was the perfect place to lure you in. All we had to do was start a few rumors in the Undernet, and let them crawl all their way to the surface, where they would reach your ugly little ears …"

Shademan relished in the looks of rage he earned from the two NetSaviors. "That's right. All the intel you have ever gathered about this factory came right from my own mouth. I controlled every piece of information, monitored its spread across the Cyberworld, leading you to believe that you were on the right path … I was controlling you since the very beginning !"

The Darkloid shook his head in disapproval. "You were too slow, humans. All caught up in your meaningless procedures, your paperwork … You were all too busy being content about your past achievements, that you forgot to think about the future. None of you could foresee my return. While you were congratulating yourselves over my temporary defeat, you failed to see what was right before your eyes."

Dingo was the first one to break out of his stupor. He shoved his elbow in Laika's ribs and hissed, "Now."

Laika didn't need another reminder. He and Dingo reached for their PETs in unison, their other hand holding their most precious Chip - their SynchroChip.

"Just because you came back to life, doesn't mean we can't make you bite the dust again !" Dingo yelled, right before he inserted the SynchroChip into his PET. In two flashes of light, CF Searchman and CF Tomahawkman stood where Laika and Dingo had been.

They no longer needed to exchange words. While this was their first time teaming up in a duo, they'd both seen the other fight before. They knew of the other's weaknesses, and knew how to make their respective fighting styles complete the other.

CF Tomahawkman charged right at the enemy, while CF Searchman jumped back, and disappeared in the shadows. Short-range, long-range - together, they had both sides covered.

"Come at me, humans and Navis ! Traitors to your kind !" Shademan claimed, raising his arms as CF Tomahawkman charged. A cloud of bats came flying straight at CF Tomahawkman, but they easily slashed through it and swung their axe again, sending a powerful gust of wind at their enemy.

Shademan blocked the cutting winds by closing his wings again. He took off before CF Tomahawkman could land a direct strike, and let the fusion bury their axe into the wall instead. Shademan inspected his surroundings, looking for the duo that interested him the most.

He had been hoping to get his hands on one of the NetSaviors' big shots, and his luck had surpassed his dreams. A loyal, obedient Navi like Searchman would make an excellent second-in-command - several leagues ahead of the likes of Bubbleman, for sure. What's more, his operator could also be of some use …

CF Tomahawkman guessed who Shademan's target was, and felt extremely offended that Shademan wasn't taking them seriously. They weren't going to let the Darkloid's attention remain only on CF Searchman. Dingo and Tomahawkman both wanted to prove themselves with this battle, and beating the Cyberworld's most evil Navi would earn them everyone else's respect, for sure.

"Don't ignore us !" CF Tomahawkman screamed, and sent his axe flying at the Darkloid. They intended to catch the Darkloid by surprise, and get a good slash at his wings. If Shademan was grounded, he wouldn't be able to go after CF Searchman so easily. All CF Tomahawkman had to do was immobilize the Darkloid, and maybe - but only maybe - they would let CF Searchman get the final shot.

They underestimated Shademan's abilities. The Darkloid easily kicked the axe away with a clawed foot, moving just in time to slam his foot on the side of the blade, and avoid getting his legs sliced. The axe fell to the ground with a loud clang, forcing CF Tomahawkman to run after it.

"Nits like you are not worthy of my time." Shademan sneered, his voice dripping with contempt. He didn't see much of a threat it the turquoise fusion, but he might as well dispose of them while he had the chance. That way, he could report his entire focus onto the duo that really sparked his interest.

With a wave of his arm, Shademan sent a flurry of screeching bats raining onto CF Tomahawkman. He saw the fusion raise their axe just in time to block the worst of the attacks, but the bats still tore at CF Tomahawkman's arms, lashed at his shoulders, clawed at his legs. A wince of pain twisted their lips under their mask, but Shademan only needed to see the light in CF Tomahawkman's brown eyes.

"You're afraid, aren't you ? You're dying to prove that you're worth something … But it's pointless. There is nothing a puny human and a traitor can do against me. Or did you really imagine that you could land a hit on the great Shademan, lord of the Undernet ?"

Before CF Tomahawkman could react to the taunts, and launch a new attack, Shademan decided that he was wasting his time here. He relished in the anguish he read on CF Tomahawkman's face, but a much more exciting prospect awaited him. He hadn't planned this whole trap just to mock a useless piece of meat and his pet made of scrap data.

Shademan held out a hand again, and sent a powerful pulse of pure energy in CF Tomahawkman's direction. Perhaps this would force the other fusion to move as well. Humans were just that stupid - they were ready to throw away a careful plan of action, if one of them was in danger. Their inability to make sacrifices would be their demise.

CF Tomahawkman pointlessly crossed their arms in front of their chest, and was thrown back under the force of the pulse. They crashed into the wall, their axe nearly slipping from their fingers, their armor on the brink of complete destruction.

"Pathetic … My world does not need such disgraces." Shademan waved his hands almost nonchalantly, and released another army of bats. He watched with twisted pleasure as CF Tomahawkman writhed in pain, unable to move in time and avoid the bats.

The sound of a gunshot filled the warehouse. Shademan slowly stared down at the brand-new hole in his left wing - a clean, smoking circle, already oozing with dark purple pixels. Shademan slowly turned around, and glared in the direction the shot had come from.

"Show yourself !" The Darkloid commanded. He shot a blind blast of energy at the darkness, but only managed to destroy a few abandoned boxes. He had to admire CF Searchman's ability for camouflage, made even more efficient due to the warehouse's layout, and the reigning darkness.

Shademan rose higher in the air, and sent his bats out for support. He kept observing his surroundings with extreme attention, and soon spotted the slightest glint of movement in front of him. Another shot immediately came from the direction he was looking in, but Shademan saw it coming, and avoided the blast with a graceful spin in the air.  
"It's useless to hide." Shademan sneered. He extended his arms again, his palms turned in the direction of a supporting beam. It was a great hiding spot, but this little game of cat and mouse couldn't last forever. Shademan was finally going to execute his plans.

The Darkloid avoided another volley of sniper shots, and prepared himself to swoop onto the spot where CF Searchman was hiding. He drew his wings back, but was stopped by a sharp shot of pain across his back.

His traits writhing in rage, Shademan glared at the ground below, and saw the glint of an axe fly to the ground again. In his eagerness to put his plans into motion, he had forgotten about the other NetSavior. That nit was going to be a nuisance until the very end.

"You will pay for this with your life !" Shademan roared, taking a nose dive down at full speed. This time, he didn't forget the fact that he was fighting two opponents, and spun in the air to avoid the shots that aimed for his back.

CF Tomahawkman hadn't just attacked to catch Shademan's attention again. Not only did they try to return CF Searchman's favor, but they also had a plan in mind. All they needed to do was wait until Shademan flew right over the warehouse's core system …

Their timing had to be perfect. The moment Shademan approached the central computer, CF Tomahawkman threw their axe again, and braced themselves for the impact.

As expected, the computer blew up upon being hit. The explosion was enough to blow both CF Tomahawkman and his enemy back, and sent pieces of scrap metal flying in every direction, spreading the fire to the old wooden boxes that filled the warehouse. The fusion hit the wall again, even harder than the last time. Darkness fell before their eyes, and they didn't see Shademan crash into the nearest pillar.

A column of flames and smoke rose in the middle of the warehouse, separating the area where CF Tomahawkman lay from the side where CF Searchman had been hiding.

Shademan recovered his senses very fast, just fast enough to see a soldier in green armor point a heavy rifle at his face. A toothy grin split the Darkloid's face.

"I almost underestimated you, humans." Shademan didn't depart from his grin. "Yes … That would have been a fatal mistake."

CF Searchman adjusted their hold on their rifle, and charged up a powerful shot. They weren't interested in a megalomaniacal Darkloid's speech.

"You turned out to be more resilient than I expected … And that is a good surprise. It makes the next stage of my plans even more interesting !"

Shademan's eyes opened wide, and a bright flash momentarily blinded CF Searchman. They had taken too much time to charge up their shot.

"Do not fear … I have not come to murder you in cold blood. No, that would be a waste, for both you and me …" Shademan's voice dropped to a low whisper. "I will make good use of you."

Behind the curtain of smoke, CF Tomahawkman finally regained consciousness. They could feel the heat of the flames, before they managed to pry their heavy eyelids open.

" _I think your idea worked a little too well, Dingo …"_ Tomahawkman's voice commented inside the fusion's head. He could only try to assess the damage done, and hope that Shademan had been burnt to a crisp in that fire.

"Laika … Where's Laika ?" Dingo exclaimed. That outburst was enough to send CF Tomahawkman in a violent coughing fit, their mask not enough to filter out all the smoke and debris.

CF Tomahawkman tried to stand, but there was no energy left in their legs. They were stuck in a sitting position, their back against the wall, body oozing with electric blue pixels. It was a wonder that the CrossFusion hadn't broken yet, held together by Tomahawkman's sheer will to protect his operator's life.

Brown eyes scanned the area, as CF Tomahawkman slowly brought a hand to his hearing receptor.

"Laika … Can you hear me ?" They coughed into the radio communication, dearly hoping to hear something on the other end of the feed. There was no sign of Shademan, but CF Tomahawkman didn't know how long they had been unconscious. The final battle might have just happened without them.

After a few excruciating seconds of wait, CF Tomahawkman saw something move around the ceiling. The flames cast an orange light on the roof, and the beams below it. The structure of the warehouse seemed sound for now, but it wouldn't be long before the heat melted the beams and poles that supported the whole construction.

"Is that you … Laika ?" Dingo's voice carried all his hopes. "I can see you … moving ! Just … jump down ! The Dimensional Area should … break now … And we'll get out …"

The movement stopped. CF Tomahawkman squinted, smoke and tears blurring their vision. They saw the silhouette move again - it had to be CF Searchman. The silhouette didn't have wings, and seemed to be holding a long item in their arm. They adjusted their grip, and took aim …

"Laika … what are you-"

CF Tomahawkman's voice was cut off abruptly, and their eyes suddenly widened. A second later, a blast of light caught them right in the shoulder. It pierced through the shards of their armor, made useless by the damage it had taken. Another blast came, even closer to their core. And a third, right in the stomach.

The shots were only off because the smoke had become so dense, and the heat that radiated from the flames distorted the shooter's field of vision. Deep inside of them, Dingo and Tomahawkman both knew that they should already be dead.

CF Searchman never missed their target.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The drama reaches its highest point ... For now :3c

CF Tomahawkman could hardly breathe. Between the suffocating smoke, and the damage they had taken, each breath stung at their throat like a thousand needles. Neither of the minds that made up the fusion could understand what had just happened.

They had to rely on instinct alone. CF Tomahawkman spotted a glistening object, just a few meters away - their axe. They must have dropped it when the explosion had blown them away. If only they could reach it, maybe they'd have a chance at defeating their new opponent…

Dingo refused to picture the face of his enemy. It had to be some kind of joke. A trial, maybe, a way for Laika to prove that Dingo was really worth hiring into the NetSaviors' ranks.

CF Tomahawkman slid to the floor. Their legs wouldn't respond, so all they could do was crawl, reaching out as far as they could. They saw the axe get closer, but the wall of flames was getting closer as well. Paralyzing fear shot through their limbs, but their will to survive was stronger. They wanted the stench of burning wood and plastic out of their lungs.

A heavily armored boot landed between their hand and the axe. CF Tomahawkman looked up, and even through the blur of their tears, they could see the cannon of a long rifle aiming at their head.

"I don't understand why I ever tried to help you." CF Searchman spoke in a tone that would chill anyone to the bone. Dingo had never heard such cruel inflexions in Laika's voice - yes, the soldier was snarky, even mean at times, but he wasn't _evil_.

"Look at you … crawling on the ground like an insect." CF Searchman stomped on their teammate's hand, tearing a cry of pain from CF Tomahawkman. "Pathetic. I can see it now … My true potential. I am capable of far more than babysitting children !"

They sent a kick at CF Tomahawkman's side, rolling them onto his back, and immediately adjusted their aim again.

Terror twisted CF Tomahawkman's traits. There was nothing left of their friends in CF Searchman's eyes. Their gaze was filled with hatred and greed, and specks of red flashed in the soldier's blue irises. He had been corrupted by the very thing they had come to destroy.

"You're not … yourself …" CF Tomahawkman wheezed. Each word took tremendous effort to make it out of their throat, but they had to try. Their solution to every problem was usually to fight it, but their body was all out of energy. It took all their willpower to even keep their eyes half-open. "This is not … what you wanted !"

CF Tomahawkman's pleas only sparked more rage inside the corrupted fusion. CF Searchman placed his foot on their Navi emblem, right in the middle of their chest. A single attack on it, and the fusion would break apart - or perhaps even worse …

"What do you know ? You've never had a taste of this power, and you never will !" The darkness was too deeply rooted inside CF Searchman's core. Simple words, no matter how meaningful, would never make them snap out of their trance.

The fire roared to CF Tomahawkman's ears. At the same instant, both minds realized that they had lost this fight. Nothing would stop CF Searchman from putting an end to their lives. Still, they clung to a tiny sliver of hope - that perhaps, they could still do something to save Laika and Searchman from this nightmare. Saving their own lives had never been their priority.

"And you think … that killing us … will make a difference ?" CF Tomahawkman had a hard time sounding defiant, when their words were interrupted by violent fits of cough. "You'd just be … wasting your time again … Just go out, and show the world … Who you've become."

Hesitation flickered in CF Searchman's eyes. In an outburst of rage, they stomped their foot onto the other's emblem. It shattered at once, sending a jolt of unbearable pain coursing through the fusion's body.

A loud scream echoed inside the warehouse, momentarily covering the low growl of the flames that still devoured everything. CF Tomahawkman's armor dissolved into a cloud of bright blue pixels, and reformed into a heavily damaged PET. The device fell to the ground, its owner unable to catch it in time. Dingo had passed out instantly, his body bearing traces of the battle. The damage he had taken was so extensive that his armor hadn't entirely protected his body. His sweater was ripped in places, revealing some ugly bruises. Blood oozed from the spots where he had been shot.

CF Searchman wasn't going to stop there. They held their rifle down, cannon pointing at Dingo's forehead. Just one shot, and the human would be history.

The sound of a buster shot filled the air, and CF Searchman fell back, wounded in the shoulder. More shots immediately came their way, all carefully avoiding the core in the middle of their chest.

A blue-clad fighter emerged from the flames. CF Rockman had come to his friends' rescue, called in by the NetPolice as reinforcements. The NetPolice had quickly noticed the Dimensional Area that covered the warehouse, and understood that it had not been called in by the agents on the terrain.

"Snap out of it, Laika ! You're going to kill him !" CF Rockman cried out, still advancing towards his former ally. They remembered a similar case - a NetPolice agent, infected with Dark Aura after he had used a corrupted SynchroChip. CF Rockman had no idea if this was what Laika had done, or if the situation had been any similar to the one that had made Enzan use a DarkChip on his own Navi. The result was the same : they had to defeat their friends before Dingo bled to his death.

"Of course ! That was exactly my goal !" CF Searchman retorted. The damage they had taken was starting to slow them down, but the extra energy they earned from the Dark Aura kept them going.

CF Rockman didn't attempt to talk anymore. If they could force CF Searchman out of the CrossFusion, they'd only need to drive Laika to the hospital as fast as possible, and give him the treatment he needed. He and Searchman could still be saved.

Using the fire to their advantage, CF Rockman jumped in front of Dingo's motionless form, and pushed CF Searchman towards the wall of a flames. They shot at CF Searchman's feet, forcing them to back up until they could no longer step back.

CF Searchman tried to shoot back, but CF Rockman had another idea in mind. They reached down and heaved Dingo into their arms, then dashed away with a nicely timed Area Steal. They deposited Dingo outside the warehouse, slipping through the hole they had quietly carved in the wall earlier, and promised that they'd come back as soon as they could. They only had a little problem left to solve.

CF Rockman rushed back inside, and cursed when they saw that CF Searchman was gone. They must have taken to the ceiling, even if the beams might collapse at any second.

Their opponent could be hiding anywhere. CF Rockman kept their guard up, ready to respond to any shot that aimed for them. CF Searchman had to be running out of health, and they would be desperate to end this fight as quickly as they could.

A sniper shot soon came from the ceiling. CF Rockman blocked it with a Barrier, and immediately responded with a Cannon shot. They then activated an Aqua Sword, and slashed it at the roaring fire that almost came licking at their boots. It would buy them a little more time before the warehouse collapsed, and they might be able to spot movement in the plumes of smoke that now rose from the furnace.

The ceiling gave a loud groan. One of the beams came tumbling down, kicking up more smoke and ash, leaving CF Rockman in a bad fit of cough. By the time they could catch their breath, CF Searchman had come down from their hiding place, their rifle primed and ready to shoot.

CF Rockman owed their safety only to their excellent reflexes. They jumped back right in time to avoid the blast, and threw their arms up in the air.

"Program Advance ! Giga Cannon !" They cried out, aware that such a strong attack might actually do more than just force CF Searchman to split. CF Rockman missed his target on purpose, and aimed right at CF Searchman's feet, counting on the blast that followed to drain what health points CF Searchman might still have.

The smoke took a moment to dissipate, but when it did, CF Rockman also realized that the Dimensional Area was fading away. Netto caught his PET before it could fall to the ground, and rushed to Laika's side.

The soldier was out cold, lying on his side. The bags under his eyes betrayed the remnants of his soul's corruption, but the dark energy could still be drained from his system. Netto picked up Laika's PET and heaved the soldier's arm around his shoulder, so he could drag him out of the warehouse using the strength he could muster.

Paramedics were already rushing in. They tended to Dingo first, and carried the boy away in a stretcher. Another team of two medics handled Laika, and Netto quickly explained the special circumstances surrounding the soldier's state. Laika's ambulance was the first to leave the scene, sirens blaring at full volume.

At the same time, the warehouse finally crumbled. Its melted structure could no longer support the weight of its own roof, and the whole building came crashing down in a cacophony of metallic noise and small explosions. Firemen rushed to try and extinguish the rubble, before the fire started to spread to the other warehouses.

Netto covered his ears with his hands, and stared at the smoking remains of the warehouse for a few seconds. What could have happened inside that warehouse ? Dingo was almost dead, and Laika had been corrupted. Their mission should just have been a routine inspection …

Netto was offered to sit in the ambulance that took Dingo to the hospital, and eagerly agreed. His friend needed someone by his side, even if he was still unconscious. A medic wrapped a safety blanket around Netto's shoulders, and helped him into the ambulance where Dingo's stretcher had been placed.

Netto wasn't ready for the sight he discovered inside. The medics had removed Dingo's sweater, and placed electrodes on his chest and side. Dingo's armor hadn't been enough to protect his body from harm, but his wounds were - hopefully - nowhere near fatal.

"He'll be fine." A doctor confirmed, catching Netto's deeply troubled glances. The young man looked a lot more worried than he wanted to let on, but Netto wanted to believe in the doctor's lies. Dingo couldn't possibly die from this.

Netto held on as the ambulance sped through the streets, jolting its occupants back and forth as it accelerated and braked again. It reached the hospital in a record time, and Dingo was hurried into the emergency room.

Netto followed in silence, and heard the doctors shout through the corridors, calling for access to a fully equipped room.

"No pulse !" Netto heard a medic shout before he was shoved out of the way by a nurse. The lady apologized, and led him into a waiting room, where Netto was offered a cup of warm chocolate on the nurse's behalf.

He figured that the nurse must have heard about the other injured young man that was brought in that same night, but the shook her head when asked. Dingo was the first emergency she'd faced during her shift.

"Maybe they took him to another hospital …" Rockman suggested, seeing Netto's traits contort in deep concern.

"Maybe. Let's give Papa a call, maybe he'll know … And we can also tell him that we have Laika's PET. Someone needs to come and pick it up quick."

Rockman nodded, and initiated a call with Dr. Hikari. The professor looked troubled, but a smile broke through his frown when he saw his son's face.

"Netto ! It's good to see you." Dr. Hikari greeted. His eyes were already elsewhere, typing frantic commands onto a screen.

"What's going on, Papa ? Did they take Laika to a special hospital or something ?"

Dr. Hikari looked up, conflicted. "Y-yes, that's what happened. I asked the medical staff to take him directly to our labs, so that we could proceed to his disinfection as quickly as possible."

Netto wasn't convinced, and his doubts were quickly confirmed.

"We still can't track the ambulance's signal, professor !" A voice shouted behind Yuuichirou.

Netto felt his heart skip a beat. "What do you mean, the ambulance's signal ? What's going on ? Papa, you have to tell me !"

Dr. Hikari looked down, ashamed of himself for trying to lie to his son's face. He would have to tell him the truth, no matter how much it hurt.

"It's Laika's ambulance. The paramedics are unable to tell us who went with him. It could have been two people who weren't actually part of the staff. The ambulance has disappeared from our radars, and nobody knows where it went. It wasn't accompanied by NetPolice cars."

Netto stared blankly at his screen, waiting for his father to say that this was all a joke. That Laika was really in some intensive care unit, being treated until his blood was clean of Dark Aura.

"I'm sorry, Netto. Laika has went missing."


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hospital scene, n°1 out of many :')   
> Featuring Maha, who is a very good parental figure. Someone has to watch over this rowdy child :v

Dingo woke up in the early hours of the morning. His eyelids slowly opened, and he blinked a few times, struggling to see anything in the darkness. The only light came from a monitor beside his bed, and from the gap between his bedroom door and the floor.

It took his eyes a moment to focus, and notice a silhouette sitting by his bed, their chin resting atop their chest - they seemed to be asleep. Dingo only recognized the person after what felt like hours, the gears of his mind working at the slowest possible pace.

"Maha …" Dingo whispered, unable to speak more. His speech was slurred, and he could hardly feel his limbs at all. He felt the distant sting of something in the crook of his elbow, and his eyes followed the tube that sprouted from his skin, all the way to a pouch of transparent fluid that hung by his bed. _Painkillers,_ he guessed. Hopefully, they were the only reason for his body's numbness.

Rather than Dingo's barely audible voice, it was the beeping of a machine that woke Maha up. The boy's awakening happened just as a nurse came in for a regular check-up. She was a stern looking, middle-aged woman, who didn't show any signs of haste of panic when she realized that her patient was waking up. This was all routine to her.

She had a nod of acknowledgement for Maha, and quickly reported her attention to Dingo. She read her pulse on the monitor, and lifted his blanket to check that the electrodes were still glued to his chest.

She then replaced the pouch of anesthetics, and made sure that the bandages covering his body weren't too stained with blood yet. They would need to be changed more often if the boy started moving.

The nurse's checkup felt distant to Dingo, as if he was experiencing someone else's life. He couldn't follow her movements, the simple act of keeping his eyes open draining all his available strength.

"All he needs is rest." The nurse's verdict fell. That sounded very reasonable to Dingo, who only wished to fall asleep again. He hated being in this state - it could hardly be called being alive.

Dingo's eyes closed again, and remained shut for a few more hours. When he woke up again, a few rays of light filtered through the stores of his bedroom window. Maha was still there, but he was no longer asleep. The man sat up straight, with a book on his knees.

Maha heard the monitor start beeping again, and wondered if this would happen every time Dingo's heartbeat changed abruptly.

Dingo felt a lot more awake than he did before. His eyes took less time to adjust to the brightness in his bedroom, even if there was way too much white around him. The walls, the floor, the blanket that covered his body all the way to his neck - it was all blindingly white.

"How are you feeling ?" Maha asked, seeing a proper spark of life in Dingo's eyes.

Dingo took a few moments to consider the question. He could still hardly feel anything beside the prickling sensation in his elbow, and his muscles felt awfully sore, like they did after an intense round of exercise.

His mind was foggy, his latest memories completely unavailable. All he could process was the state of his body, and the fact that he laid in a hospital bed, with Maha as sole company.

"I'm … numb." Dingo's speech was still slurred, each word asking for way more effort than usual. His mind paused for a moment, before a question popped up. "If you're here … who's running the restaurant ?"

Maha hadn't imagined that this would be Dingo's first concern. "At this early hour, we are usually closed. However, and as much as I trust Dekao to run the store by himself, we are going to stay closed for business today."

Dekao was really in no state to be taking care of the restaurant all alone, but Maha didn't think that this was a necessary piece of information. After hearing the state Dingo was in, Dekao had begged to watch over his friend for the night, but Maha had insisted that if Dingo did wake, he would rather need someone who could stay calm at all times.

Dingo wanted to ask why, but another concern suddenly took over his brain. "Where's my tomahawk ? And my PET ?"

There was a lot more panic in Dingo's voice. His memories were coming back, piece by piece, and he remembered passing out while CrossFused. If he had been knocked out for so long, then Tomahawkman must have taken quite a lot of damage as well.

"Your tomahawk is right here." Maha answered, still keeping his calm. He reached for Dingo's belongings, which had been piled on a chair nearby. His sweater was in a sorry state, but Maha wanted to keep that detail for later. He gently raised the tomahawk, so that Dingo could confirm that it was here, in one piece.

"As for your PET, it was placed in the hands of Professor Hikari. Tomahawkman has sustained consequent damage, just like you did, but his repairs should not take too long. He will be brought back to you as soon as possible."

Dingo felt a little reassured. He wanted to hold his tomahawk in his own hands, but he could hardly lift his arms, let alone wrap his hand around the weapon's handle. He had to find enough comfort in seeing Maha hold it instead, and in knowing that Tomahawkman was in good hands as well - in a figurative sense.

A moment of silence passed, during which Dingo felt an increasing sense of dread squeeze at his heart. He was forgetting about something, something important.

It came back to him all at once. The sound of a rifle's shots, the piercing pain in his chest. Cold blue eyes, staring down at him with a level of hatred that Dingo had never seen in anyone eyes before. His friend, holding a deadly weapon to his head.

"Laika … Where's Laika ?!" Dingo yelled, and immediately regretted his outburst. He had tried to sit up, but his body remained glued to the bed, his head unable to lift itself off its pillow. His body was shaken by a violent spasm, and his shout left him coughing badly.

"You have to stay calm." Maha placed a gentle hand on Dingo's chest, urging the boy to stop moving. "You have inhaled a lot of smoke, and your throat will be sensitive for a while."

A great sadness filled Maha's eyes, and Dingo immediately knew that something was wrong. He had never been able to read Maha's expression so easily.

"As for your friend … I do not know all the details, but I have been informed that his whereabouts are currently unknown." Maha thought that breaking the truth to Dingo would hurt less than a lie. Maha knew that Dingo would immediately want to stand up, and go rescue his friend, but his body's limits would hold him back for now.

Maha only hoped that knowing the truth would give Dingo even more motivation to get back on his feet in a short amount of time - and the truth would have reached his ears sooner or later, in any case.

Dingo felt dread poison his heart. "What … what do you mean ?" He croaked, his voice still broken after his outburst.

Maha shook his head. "I do not have any extra information. The NetPolice is keeping it all secret from civilians, which is most likely a normal procedure. You will have to question the NetPolice’s chief in person, or perhaps one of your colleagues. But for now, you should prioritize your own recovery."

Conflicting thoughts collided in Dingo's brain. He so badly wanted to rip off the tube that sunk under his skin, to storm out of his hospital room, and go hunt down the people who'd taken Laika away. He wanted to send Tomahawkman after Shademan, and see his Navi slash the vampire Darkloid's head off.

All he could do now was try and clench his fist. Tears of frustration and powerlessness stung at his eyes. How was he supposed to save Laika, when he couldn't even stand up ?

"If I'd been stronger … I could've beaten Shademan … And none of this …" Dingo couldn't finish his sentence. His throat was too tight, his eyes were on fire. Tears came streaming down his cheeks, rolling all the way to his pillow, and he couldn't even lift his hand to wipe them away.

Once again, he had failed to protect someone dear to him. Who knew what kind of torture Laika was going through now - if only he was even still alive ?

Maha felt the turmoil inside the boy's heart, and produced a tissue to wipe away his tears. "Do not blame yourself. You fought bravely, and you are still alive. You will recover."

In any other situation, Dingo would have tried to push Maha away. He felt so pathetic that he might as well let the man wipe away his tears as well. He couldn't fall much lower than this, anyway.

"I'm certain that the NetPolice is all over this case. They will not abandon your friend." Maha assured. "And in due time, you will be able to help as well. For now, the best thing you can do is to give them less to worry about."

Maha always knew how to appease Dingo's heart. Words usually had little effect on Dingo, but Maha had the best chances of finding a way to reason with him. This time, Dingo couldn't quite punch his way out of this issue.

"… Alright. I'll rest. Take meds, sleep … do whatever they say." Dingo decided. This was a challenge in itself, for someone who couldn't stand to stay cooped up in the same room for more than an hour or two. This was only a temporary setback. Once he had recovered, he would be stronger than ever. It couldn't be that hard to break out of a hospital, anyway.

"That sounds like a good compromise." Maha gave Dingo a long glance, as if he was trying to read the boy's mind.

Dingo squirmed anxiously at Maha's piercing gaze, and chased all rebellious thoughts from his mind. He'd have to plan his breakout carefully …

Maha stood up from his chair, and offered Dingo a gentle smile. "Now that I've obtained your promise that you will behave, I will go let everyone know that you are doing well. I also recommend that you get a little more rest … You will be getting more visits during the day."

Dingo hated to admit it, but he didn't want Maha to leave yet. He didn't want to be alone in this cold room, with tubes and electrodes for sole company. He only realized how much he missed his Navi's presence, even if Tomahawkman got on his nerves so often. Dingo would give anything to hear his Navi's nagging at that very moment.

"Take care." Maha had a short nod, and made his exit, gently closing the door behind him. For once in his life, he felt unsure that he had made the right decision, by so bluntly telling Dingo the truth. He hadn't been blind to the mutinous look in the boy's eyes, and knew that sooner or later, Dingo would try to escape, and have his say in his friend's rescue.

Left to his own devices, Dingo tried his hardest to stop himself from crying again. He could feel some slight sensation coming back to his limbs, but he decided to take Maha's advice, and try to sleep some more. He didn't want to look like a ghost when his friends came to visit later. He could imagine them all asleep in some hospital lobby, being forcibly restrained by the nurses, so they wouldn't barge into his room with handfuls of takeout curry.

A twinge of guilt tugged at Dingo's heart. How could he even think of such comfortable moments when Laika was probably locked up somewhere, corruption ravaging his soul, with the enemy for sole company ?

Dingo chased the thoughts away. He wouldn't be powerless for too long. As soon as he could walk, and pack a good punch, he would break out of here.

He would not be defeated twice in a row.


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's time for unethical science \o/ Do not try this at home, kids ...  
> Laika is not having a good time. Spoiler alert : he won't be having good times anytime soon :(

Laika came to his senses with reluctance. Every inch of his body hurt like crazy, the simple twitch of his eyelids so painful that he almost passed out again. His mind didn't want to boot up, his brain refusing to cooperate.

A bright light was shone in Laika's eyes, so bright that he could see it through his closed eyelids.

"He's awake ! Ma'am, he's awake !" A voice shouted, way too loud to Laika's ears. His senses were going crazy, but he could hardly move his limbs at all. It felt as if his body was being stabbed with needles all over.

The sound of approaching steps had Laika try to open his eyes again. The bright light had been moved away from his face, and he could take a look around without being blinded again.

He was laying on what looked like a hospital bed, or perhaps an emergency stretcher. Was he still inside an ambulance ? He couldn’t feel any movement around him, and after a few more seconds, he realized that he was really in a dark room. Judging by the lack of windows, it had to be underground.

Laika observed the room's occupants next. The man who had shouted near him was still standing close. Laika couldn't see much of his face, as a light blue hospital mask covered the lower half of it. He was dressed like a paramedic, with a blouse and gloves, and even a nametag - but Laika couldn't make out the man's name.

The sound of steps became louder, and brought Laika's attention onto the second person in a room - a woman, dressed in laboratory coat that bore traces of many past experiments. She had her disheveled, deep green hair tied back in a bun, stray hair poking out of it in random directions. Her face's blemishes were hidden under a thick layer of makeup, in stark contrast to her unkept hair, and her eyes were a bright shade of pink that hardly looked natural. Laika didn't like the smile he spotted on her face.

"How are you feeling ? Terrible, I assume ?" The woman went straight to the point. She had a notepad in her hands, and was already scribbling down comments before Laika could even try to speak. "By now, the effects of the Dark Aura should have dissipated, leaving you feeling more tired than you've ever felt. It does make you stronger, but at the price of most of your stamina …"

Laika couldn't make sense of a single word she pronounced. His memories were a jumble of images and sounds, and he could hardly tell who he was, let alone what had happened to him. Slowly, his brain put the pieces of the puzzle together, a strained frown tugging at Laika's traits under the effort.

More sounds came back to his mind. Screams. He felt the heat of flames caressing his skin, the smell of smoke invading his lungs. He looked around frantically, trying to find the source of the flames - but there was no fire. It was all in his head.

"What's happening ?” The woman piped up. “Are you experiencing flashbacks, by any chance ? Yes, it would make sense that your memories are taking time to come back … You have been through a rather traumatic episode, after all. But don't hold these memories back ! Let them come ! The sooner you accept them, the sooner you can move on …"

Laika didn't know why the woman was even encouraging him. Was she some kind of doctor ? This place did not look like a regular hospital. Everything about it looked cheap and fake, squalid even.

Memories rushed to his brain, and Laika couldn't stop them. He saw himself fighting a large, bat-like Navi, he saw an explosion and a bright flash of light … He saw the bat Navi hold him by the neck, another clawed hand wrapped around his arms, holding him in place.

He felt something pierce through his neck, and everything went black. Laika relived the excruciating pain he had went through, when the Dark Aura flooded the body that he shared with Searchman…

Searchman. Laika's eyes opened wide, frantically searching for a sign of his PET.

"You're looking for… your Navi, right ?" The woman guessed, a sudden look of disappointment taking over her traits. "Much to my great displeasure, I was unable to get my hands on him. I assume that one of your little buddies took your PET away before my men could capture you. But I wouldn't worry about him ! His program seemed to be surprisingly sturdy, for an old military Navi … Well, not so old, actually. Am I right ?"

Laika did not reply. He still hadn't pronounced a single word, and he didn't want to give the woman any more information. She seemed to be reading his mind already. At least Searchman was safer than he was, out of the hands of these insane people. Having his Navi on their side should greatly help his allies.

"You're not going to cooperate easily, are you … I guessed that much. Are you aware of all the information that's available in your NetPolice file ? And it was so easy to steal, too. These idiots are always so confident that no one can break into their oh-so high-tech servers, or break through their top-of-the-art firewalls …"

The woman flicked through her notepad, looking pleased with everything she had written in it. "The moment I was informed that you were the one in charge of this mission, I gathered all the information I could. Of course, lord Shademan was the one who made the ultimate decision, but I believe that he was right. You'll be very suitable for the rest of this experiment."

Laika felt a growing sense of dread grab at his throat. He tried to ignore the pain, and wanted to at least sit, but he felt something cold brush against his wrists. Metal restraints, holding him glued to the stretcher. He could only lift his head a little, and he realized that his ankles were bound as well.

"What … are you … going to do with me ?" Laika croaked, finally mustering the strength to speak. The world spun around him, spells of dizziness threatening to claim his consciousness again, but he held on. He had to know what the enemy - for these people couldn't possibly be actual doctors - was planning to do with him.

"Oh, it's nothing you should worry about. You've already survived the experiment's first step, and it shouldn't get any worse … I think." The woman had a little chuckle. "I mean, it all depends on your own thresholds, of course, but we can't really predict that, can we ?"

She glared at the fake paramedic, her tone growing colder. "What are you waiting for ? Go get our supplies ! I want to start the next phase now !"

Laika slowly made sense of what the woman had said so far. All of this had been a set-up for the enemy to capture a NetSavior - a CrossFused test subject. Laika had heard of a Navi being personally infected by Shademan before, rather than by the use of a DarkChip, but he had never envisioned that it could happen to a CrossFused pair. Of course, no one had been expecting Shademan to make a comeback, either.

The man quickly returned with a plastic pouch, much like those used for hospital anesthetics- but that pouch was filled with a liquid so deeply purple that it looked black.

A shiver crawled down Laika's spine. The mere sight of this purple liquid made his blood freeze in his veins. It was evil made liquid.

"Have you guessed what it is ? Of course you have, with that clever brain of yours." The woman laughed. "It's liquified Dark Aura. All I had to do was get my hands on the results of the blood tests from that one NetPolice agent who got infected, and compare it with the coding that makes up a DarkChip. You'd be surprised how easy it was to translate that into actual molecules ! I know that the Cyberworld was modeled after our world, but it's not that hard to make it work the opposite way."

The woman calmed down, and went to grab a pair of transparent gloves. She produced an IV drip from a dark corner of the room, and shoved it in her acolyte's hands.

"Do your job." She told the man. She did the theory, he did the practical part. The man might be wearing a stolen outfit, but he really was a paramedic - or at least, he used to be.

The man did not spare Laika's face a glance. After he'd tightened Laika's restraints, he installed the drip with methodical gestures, but he didn't switch it on yet. Instead, he looked at the young woman, who could hardly contain her excitement anymore.

"We'll start slow. I know exactly what dose corresponds to exactly one DarkChip, and I can only guess what amount of Dark Aura lord Shademan let you have, when he infected you in the first place. Let's see how long it takes for you to go completely feral !"

Laika struggled against his bonds again, but only managed to make them dig into the skin of his wrists. He remembered what he had done while he was under the Dark Aura's influence.

He remembered feeling empowered, like he could shape the entire world the way he wanted. But mostly, he remembered aiming CF Searchman’s rifle at a friend, and pulling the trigger. Not once, not twice, but three times. He had shot Dingo with the intent to take away his life. Who knew if Dingo was still alive at that point ?

Laika felt a strange warmth spread from his arm to the rest of his body. It hurt at first, as if every nerve in his body was reacting to it, trying to push it away. His body knew that this substance was not a natural part of it, and wanted to defend itself.

"Let's start with … two Dark Chips." The woman decided, furiously scribbling more notes into her notebook. "Can you imagine that a single of these pouches holds as much Dark Aura as twenty Dark Chips ? I can't wait to see what happens if I pour that all into one human body ! Will you become strong enough to free yourself from these iron chains ? Or maybe you'll explode, but I wouldn't want that … It'd make a real mess."

Rage filled Laika's eyes. He glared at the woman with murderous intent, and tried to free himself from his bonds.

"You can … torture me all you want … You will not walk from this unpunished." Laika growled. "My … partners will hunt you … and make you pay."

"Oh, will they ? But my plan's been so perfect so far ! It doesn't have a single flaw ! We are so deep into the mountains that no communication feed can ever hope to reach us. And we have already disposed of the ambulance we used to carry you all the way here. Stealing that one wasn't easy, and it's a shame we couldn't keep it … But really, you shouldn't worry about us so much. Just relax and embrace the Dark Aura, alright ?"

Laika could tell that the corruption was spreading. His outburst of anger might be linked to it, as the vicious energy tried to take over his mind again. Soon enough, the person he really was would disappear again, buried under layers of deadly pride and destructive wrath.

"That's right … There's no point in fighting it. Don't you want to feel it again ? All that power ? And now it's all for your own enjoyment, too ! You don't have to share !"

Laika wanted nothing more than to shut her up. His eyebrows furrowed more and more, his hands closing into fists, so tightly that his nails dug into the skin of his palms. The Dark Aura was still pouring into his system, his grip on reality fading fast. Red specks tainted his blue eyes, his heart pounded under his ribs.

There was nothing he could do to stop the infection from spreading. All he could hope was that it would kill him, before he did any more damage. He didn't care if he broke free and murdered his captors, but he couldn't be left to roam the streets freely. He would be a danger to everyone.

Laika couldn't bear to have more of his friends' blood on his hands.


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Bittersweet reunions, and more chill hospital scenes. And of course, some curry.   
> Curry can heal any wounds, and even make you forget all about your kidnapped friend who tried to murder you ... Just for a short moment.

When Dingo woke up again, the sun was already high up in the sky. He nearly lashed out when he saw a silhouette hanging over him, only to realize that it belonged to a nurse, white-clad and wearing a stern look behind her glasses.

"I'm only here to change your bandages." The nurse announced. She could see the distrust in the boy's eyes, but she was used to rowdy patients. This young boy couldn't do much to stop her, anyway, with the state with body was in.

Anesthetics ran through his veins at a high dosage, and he should hardly even feel the sting of the disinfectant she dabbed at his wounds.

"How long did I sleep ?" Dingo questioned. He vaguely recalled Maha's visit, and the man saying that his friends were planning on visiting him as well at a later time.

"About eight hours. Visit hours are almost over, but I know that a few of your friends have been sitting in the lobby for a while, hoping to get a chance to talk to you." She covered a wound on his chest with fresh bandages, and allowed herself a rare smile. "I will call them in as soon as I'm done with this."

Dingo thought that with clean bandages covering his skin, rather than bloody ones, he wouldn't be able to brag as much about how tough this fight had been. He remembered the reason why he had the wounds in the first place, and the childish thought was immediately replaced by much darker ones. He didn't feel like bragging anymore.

The nurse completed her task in silence, and threw away the bloody pieces of gauze. "I will bring you dinner in about an hour. You can press the red button on your bed's remote if you need anything."

That remote had become obsolete, as Navis could now easily ping the nurses directly, but the boy's PET was nowhere to be seen. The nurse assumed that his Navi was undergoing repairs as well, surely linked to the boy's injuries. She was only vaguely aware of the concept of CrossFusion, but planned to give the kid's medical file a thorough read before her shift was over.

The nurse made her way out with a little bow, and left Dingo to his bedroom's heavy silence. He felt even more awake than he did previously, though he could tell that the anesthetics made him groggier than usual. He could lift his forearms a little, and wiggle his feet under the blankets, but standing up and walking away were still a distant dream.

Dingo heard the sound of steps rushing through the corridors, and a shouting voice reminding the visitors that this was a hospital, and that they should behave with respect for all the patients. Guessing the visitors' identity, Dingo braced himself for the storm.

"Dingo !! I was so worried !" A booming voice echoed inside the room, as the door was nearly ripped off its brake system. It belonged to Dekao, whose puffy eyes betrayed his tears, before Dingo even saw them shining on his cheeks.

Netto had to grab Dekao's arm, before the taller boy could try and crush Dingo in his embrace.

"You don't wanna break his bones too, Dekao." Netto laughed. He was just as thrilled to see his friend, but unlike Dekao, he was also aware of the circumstances around Dingo's injuries. Seeing Dingo in a hospital bed reminded him of what could have been avoided, if only they hadn't fallen into the enemy's trap.

He wasn't blaming Laika or Dingo, or anyone else at the NetPolice - nobody could have predicted this turn of events. They had all been too naïve, and they were paying the high price for it - Laika more than anyone else.

"I really thought you were gonna die …" Dekao sobbed. "They said something went wrong with your CrossFusion, and that's why you almost got beat. Good thing Netto came right in time !"

Dingo threw a questioning glance in Netto's direction, and the other boy placed a finger on his lips in reply. Dekao hadn't been told the whole truth, and the public might still not even know about the story. The NetPolice was surely working their hardest to cover it up, but even if the news broke out, Dekao wasn't one to read online newspapers daily anyway.

"Like I'd die from those scratches …" Dingo replied, with a tentative smirk. It was hard to act like his usual smug self, when he felt like joining Dekao in his wailing.

"Yeah, he wouldn't ! Don't underestimate us, Dekao !" Netto flexed an arm confidently, his smile already more convincing than his friend's.

"You're right … You NetSaviors are really something else." There was a hint of jealousy in Dekao's voice. "But I'm still your rival ! And that's for both of you ! One day, Gutsman will beat Rockman AND Tomahawkman !"

"Yeah, yeah. And I'm the queen of Kingland." Dingo's snark was a little more genuine this time. He found himself invigorated by his friends' presence, and for a moment, he almost forgot where he was, and why he was here.

Dekao pouted angrily, while Netto laughed wholeheartedly at the latter's reaction.

"If you're gonna be like that, then I'm taking my get-well-soon gifts back home …" Dekao muttered. He lifted a MaHa Ichiban' delivery box up to Dingo's eyes, and set the box on the small table in a corner of the room.

"I'm not sure we're allowed to smuggle food in here, but don't tell the nurses about it, alright ?" Netto whispered behind a hand, as if he was speaking about a matter of life or death.

"Curry buns !" Dekao exclaimed, earning himself an immediate "shhh !" from Netto. Dekao repeated his words in a softer voice, and dropped a paper bag next to Dingo.

"Warm and fresh from this morning." Dekao announced. They were his latest obsession, and Dingo had happily used his skill as a sample taster to help his friend find the perfect recipe. While they could only serve as a side dish to the shop's menu, they made the ideal snack for takeout, or for a middle of the afternoon snack break.

The scent of curry spices and fried dough filled Dingo with great joy. He slowly held a hand out, keeping the arm that was linked to the IV under his bedsheets.

He knew that he would be scolded by the nurses and doctors for eating the curry buns without permissions, but what was the worst they could do to punish him ? He was already locked up in this room, unable to walk away from his bed.

With great effort, Dingo brought a warm snack to his lips, and took a small bite out of it. The taste of the spices was overwhelming, so much that he almost felt like crying - even though this amount of spice was nothing for him. Curry always made him emotional, no matter the circumstances, but this one meal was particularly meaningful to him.

He could see his friends watch him like hawks, waiting for his reaction. Dekao looked like he was about to burst into tears once more.

"Man, that's …" Dingo contemplated the curry bun for a moment. Even from an aesthetic point of view, the bun was perfect. "It's your best version yet. Honest."

Dingo wondered if his sense of taste wasn't a little dulled by the anesthetics as well, but if that was true, then the buns were even tastier than he could currently imagine. Dekao's efforts deserved all his compliments.

"I made the crust just a little thinner this time, and I changed the balance of spices." Dekao explained, a proud smile glowing on his still wet cheeks. "Your advice was really good, so this is a shared effort !"

Netto couldn't resist it anymore. He had managed to not steal a single bun from the bag while they walked to the hospital, but seeing the open bag, and smelling the scent of its contents, was all more than he could handle. In a swift motion, Netto grabbed a curry bun and ate half of it in a single bite. It was just as delicious as Dingo had said.

"They're so good ! You're really talented, Dekao ! And Dingo really knows his curry, too." Netto had a nod of appreciation, and finished his bun in just two more bites. He was dying for another sample, but he saw how Dingo had only taken one bite out of his yet. He wondered how much of his pain his friend was currently hiding.

Dingo spotted Netto glancing in his direction, and immediately took a larger bite of his curry bun. Chewing was a hassle when his jaw felt so numb, and swallowing made his throat burn up like he was ingesting fire, but he hoped that Dekao wouldn't misinterpret his winces.

Fortunately, Dekao had looked away to produce napkins. He handed one to Netto, and set another one on Dingo's lap.

"You can eat them later, but they're really better while they're still warm." Dekao insisted. "If you don't mind, I'll take one too …"

Dingo shook his head, and Dekao happily went fishing for a curry bun. His taste buds weren't as refined as his friends', but he could still feel the improvement from all his previous attempts.

"I think they're finally good enough for our menu card." Dekao decided. "I'll submit the recipe to Maha as soon as I head back !"

"Sounds good to me." Dingo nodded. He managed to finish his curry bun in a few more bites, the excellent taste just barely balancing out the pain he felt each time he swallowed.

"I should head back now, then … So I'll have time to drop by the restaurant before I head home." Dekao realized, with a glance in Netto's direction. "Are you coming back with me ?"

"Actually, I think I'll stay a little longer. Someone's gotta make sure that Dingo eats all those curry buns, am I right ?" Netto joked, offering Dekao a bright smile. "You go on ahead."

Dekao wondered why in the world would Dingo not eat all the delicious curry buns, and had a frown. "I hope you're not staying just so you can steal more of his share …"

"Of course not !" Netto raised his hands in protest. "I swear that I will ask him before I eat any more curry buns. Besides, now that you've completed your recipe, I'm sure I'll have plenty more chances to eat some !"

"… Right." Dekao seemed satisfied by this excuse. He grabbed the delivery box, and turned around one last time before he reached for the door. "I'll get going, then. You take good care of yourself, alright, Dingo ? We need you back at the restaurant as soon as possible !"

"Yeah. I know the restaurant just can't run properly without me around." Dingo sneered. His expression immediately softened, and he offered Dekao a small smile. "I'll do my best. Thanks again for coming, Dekao."

"No problem. See you soon !" Dekao greeted, and finally made his exit. He left with the feeling that he had done the best he could, even though it wasn't much.

He had always felt powerless whenever his friends were caught up in their "saving the world" activities, and Dingo joining the NetSaviors had only added to this feeling. His jealousy had faded away somewhat, when he had realized that he could also help by doing what he loved the most in life : providing his friends with a good, warm plate of curry.


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A short and slow chapter, just an excuse for more NaNoWriMo words x)   
> Everyone is on the same page now. How long do you think it'll take before Dingo breaks out ? Place your bets !

With Dekao gone, the atmosphere inside Dingo's room suddenly turned heavier. Dingo could tell that Netto had a lot of questions, but he wanted to do the asking first.

"I heard the news. About Laika." Dingo cut right to the chase, now wanting to lose any time. "But Maha couldn't tell me much. What happened ? Did you get involved at some point ?"

Netto sat down in a chair, and grabbed the bag of curry buns from Dingo's bed. He would need some comfort food while he explained what he knew.

"The NetPolice got an alert, saying that a Dimensional Area had appeared around the warehouse you two were inspecting. That's when they knew something was wrong, because the Ministry said that nobody had called for a Dimensional Area. So it had to be the enemy's doing.

“That's also when they call me in as reinforcements, because they couldn't get in touch with any of you. They mentioned signal jammers or something … Either way, I rushed to the warehouse, but it was already burning up. Whatever was happening inside, it wasn't normal."

Netto helped himself to a curry bun, and devoured it before he could go on. "It'd been a while since I’d done that, but I broke into the Dimensional Area, and made it inside the warehouse."

He stopped, his gaze falling to his lap. "But it was already too late."

Netto remembered his confusion, soon replaced by a gut-wrenching sense of horror. Neither his nor Rockman's minds could comprehend what was happening, when there was no visible enemy around. It took them a moment to realize that the enemy was still there, right in front of them, pointing their rifle at Dingo's face. CF Searchman was the enemy.

"We got you out of the warehouse as fast we could, then we went back in to get Laika and Searchman. They looked really beat up already, but everything about them was so … evil. They said they were trying to kill you." Netto felt a shiver crawl down his spine. "We managed to defeat them, and that's when the Dimensional Area broke away. The timing was too good to be a coincidence, but we didn't have time to think about it. Medics ran around the place, and firemen too, and Laika's ambulance was the first to go."

A bitter wince twisted Netto's traits. He could see that Dingo hung onto his every word, almost holding his breath, even if he could already guess what had happened next.

"I didn't get a good look at the medics who took care of Laika. I was asked if I wanted to come with you instead, and I had Searchman with me too. I only found out about Laika going missing once I'd made it to the hospital, and I gave Papa a call. And as far as I know, they still have no clue where they took him. They're also trying to understand _why,_ but I don't think it really matters …"

Dingo found a little bit of relief in knowing that Searchman was safe. It wasn't much, but he was certain that with Laika's Navi by their side, they would have greater chances of finding Laika.

"So you gotta tell me, Dingo. Why did Laika turn evil ? Did he use a Dark Chip while he was CrossFused ?"

Now that it was his turn to speak, Dingo felt even more tired and discouraged. He didn't want to stir up his fresh memories, but for Laika's sake, he had to tell Netto everything he knew.

"It was Shademan." Dingo stated. He saw Netto's eyes opening wide, and shook his head. "Don't ask me how he came back. He said something about Darkloids being immortal, or whatever … He showed up after we fought some heel Navis, and I guess he's the one who called the Dimensional Area, too.”

“We fought for a while, but he beat us easily. I don't know how, but he corrupted CF Searchman. He kept talking about this whole mission being a trap, and about some kind plan he had, and how Laika'd make the perfect test subject …"

Dread took over Netto's features. "So … the factory was just bait. He wanted to lure someone in and capture them. And he got exactly what he wanted …"

Dingo looked down, hardly able to contain the tears that rushed to his eyes. "I'm sorry. Even if it was four against one, we couldn't beat him … Me and Tomahawkman … we couldn't do a thing. We were … too weak …"

His fingers dug into his mattress, squeezing the bedsheets between his fingers. Tears came running down his face, tears of regret, of powerlessness.

"It wasn't your fault !" Netto protested. He set a comforting hand on Dingo's arm, but he didn't know what to do to make his friend stop blaming himself. "If I'd made it earlier, I could have prevented this, but we can't keep thinking about the past. If you keep this up, you should just blame the whole NetPolice for not guessing what the enemy's plan was. So you should blame Shademan and his minions … They're the real enemy here."

Dingo nodded slowly, though he knew that mere words couldn't fully heal his wounded pride. It would take more than some encouragements to make him forgive himself.

"I'm sorry I made you explain all this, Dingo. I just thought it'd be better if I asked you questions, instead of letting those scary NetPolice agents do the questioning, like you were some kinda criminal …" Netto explained. He reached into the paper bag, and offered Dingo a curry bun. "Come on, eat one more."

Dingo couldn't turn down the offer, even if his throat hurt even more than before. He wiped his eyes and nose with the napkin that was still on his lap, and nibbled on the curry bun without much appetite.

"… Thanks." Dingo mumbled. "For everything."

He hated to look so weak in front of a friend, but it was better than breaking into tears in front of the NetPolice agents. He knew that his time amongst the NetSaviors was probably not going to last after this incident, and he didn't want to lose face in front of the police ever again.

"You don't have thank me." Netto shook his head. He threw a glance inside the paper bag, and took one more curry bun, leaving the last one for Dingo. "Just know I'll do everything I can to find Laika. We beat the Darkloids once, and we can do it again."

Dingo nodded, trying to look more confident than he really was.

"I want to help." Dingo stated. He looked straight at Netto, hoping to get some kind of promise out of his friend.

Netto looked away, guessing what Dingo wanted from him. As much as he understood Dingo's need to do something, they couldn't wait for Dingo to heal from his wounds. He also knew that Dingo would never accept that, and argue that he was already doing better, and that he would be up for another mission in a day or two.

"I'll … I'll keep you updated. I promise." It was all Netto could promise with full certainty. "I'll come and see you as often as I can. And I'll bring more of those curry buns, if you didn't get enough from Dekao and Maha."

Dingo exchanged a long glance with his friend, but he didn't insist. An unspoken understanding passed between the boys, and Dingo knew that Netto wouldn't actively try to stop him. The moment Dingo had regained faith in his body, he would be out on the terrain, helping out the best he could.

"I should head home. My mom said she'd make cookies for the next time I come visit you, so make sure you don't eat too much hospital food." Netto joked, very well aware that hospital food had the reputation to be terrible. He could only feel for his friend, who loved food as much as he did, and would suffer a lot from that kind of diet.

Sparkles of joy lit up in Dingo's eyes. "Tell her thanks in advance. And thank your dad for taking care of Tomahawkman, too."

"Right !" Netto slammed a hand on his forehead. "I almost forgot. Papa said he'd have Tomahawkman fixed by tomorrow. He's working really hard on Searchman, too, because he has to fix the Dark Aura issue and all … But you'll have Tomahawkman back soon."

Dingo nodded, a smile tugging at the corners of his lips. His hospital room would feel less lonely with his Navi by his side.

"I'll be on my way, then." Netto excused himself, with a last wave for Dingo.

Dingo listened to his friend's steps become more and more distant, and felt his stomach give a little growl. All the talking had drained what little energy his body had stored up, but he realized that the last curry bun was out of his reach. He was not going to call the nurse for such a trivial issue, but he was determined to get what he wanted.

Dingo dragged himself to the very edge of his bed, shoulders digging into the cold metal bars that kept him from falling. By chance, the bag was set on the side where he didn't have the IV drip, which gave him the chance to reach out. He stretched his arm as far as he could, fingers extended to the maximum, and managed to catch the bag between his fingertips.

With only one curry bun left in it, it wasn't too heavy, but the effort it took Dingo to lift the bag felt worse than a whole day of deliveries. With extreme care, he brought the bag all the way to his lap, and let out a little cry of triumph. It was a small victory, but he had to cherish that sense of vindication.

He might not get to feel that way again in a long time.


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The adults gather to try and understand how they could mess up so bad.  
> Unethical science returns next chapter :3c

Netto wasn't actually planning to go back home, like he had said he would. His very long day wasn't over yet.

He had to go back to the Ministry of Science, where he had left his PET. Rockman was helping Dr. Hikari with their friends' repairs, and had also provided his and Netto's insight on the events of the day. Commissioner Kifune and a few other NetPolice agents had gathered at the labs, in order to collect all the information they could on this case.

Netto also came back with more valuable information for the NetPolice's files. He had insisted to go interview Dingo himself, rather than let the police agents pay his friend a visit at the hospital. The NetPolice would surely need to go see Dingo in person at some point, but Netto didn't want to put Dingo through this ordeal, when he was just getting his bearings again.

Netto was relieved to learn that Tomahawkman's repairs were almost complete. He would be ready to go early in the morning, allowing Netto to keep his promise to Dingo. Moreover, Searchman's own repairs were going well, thanks to Rockman's valuable information on how to fight against the Dark Aura.

The data that they had gathered on the blue Navi, back when he had been infected by Shademan's bite, proved to be crucial. Searchman's infection seemed to be almost identical to what Rockman had experienced, as opposed to the data on a Dark Chip's effect.

"That's because he wasn't infected with a Dark Chip like Blues was." Netto explained, once he heard his Navi's feedback. "He was bitten by Shademan too. Actually, CF Searchman was."

Netto felt many pairs of eyes glance in his directions, widening at the information they heard. Netto told them everything he had heard from Dingo, from the fight against Shademan, to how CF Searchman had turned against his friend, and nearly taken his life. He also mentioned Shademan's cryptic threats, and the way he had hinted about a "plan".

"This would mean that the real target here was Laika-kun, or perhaps any other human NetSavior." Commissioner Kifune guessed. His deduction abilities made him an excellent policeman, and his skill was still as refined as usual, even if he was no longer a terrain officer. "As unlikely as it sounds, Shademan must have been assisted by humans. I would even go as far as suggesting that he was brought back by human hand …"

A moment of heavy silence passed, during which Kifune glanced at the scientists in the room. Dr. Hikari had taken a break from his intense work, so he could hear the same information as the other people who worked on the case.

"It's been assumed that Darkloids such as Shademan were generated randomly, in the depths of the Undernet. However, the odds of the same Darkloid appearing twice are extremely thin." Dr. Hikari pointed out, and earned a general nod from his audience. "We have to keep in mind that Shademan has already made a surprise comeback, but there was time travel involved. What surprises me even more, is the fact that he would agree to team up with human beings again, when he seemed to bear such strong hatred towards them in his former life …"

"Maybe he feels grateful, if he was really brought back by a human." Netto suggested. He was a little intimidated by this audience of important people, but he spoke with his heart. He knew that his father would not treat him like a child, and brush off his ideas.

"That would make sense. Perhaps his coding was also altered by whoever built him back." Dr. Hikari mused. "The possibilities are endless, really. But for now, we should not waste our time trying to figure out how or why Shademan has returned. We must take every measure we can to locate Laika-kun, and rescue him from the enemy." He sent Kifune a pointed glance. "I will have Searchman up and running as soon as I can. In the meantime, I'm putting all my faith in you and your agents, Commissioner.”

Kifune had a solemn nod in reply. "You can count on us." He assured, returning Dr. Hikari's glance without flinching.

Kifune was ready to take the blame for this whole case, aware that the NetPolice's lack of preparation might be to blame for what had happened. If his detectives had done a better background search, the NetSaviors wouldn't have walked into that warehouse so blindly. They had all let their guard down, and they now paid the price for it.

"Very well. This concludes our meeting." Dr. Hikari decided. He had important tasks to return to, and he knew that the NetPolice was doing their best. He felt no resentment towards Kifune and his troops, aware that if they started to doubt each other, they would only make the enemy's life easier.

Kifune and his subordinates took their leave, with a respectful bow for the ministry's scientists.

It was well into the evening already, and Netto had spent the night on a hospital lobby chair, half-sitting, half-leaning. He was dying to go back home and enjoy the comfort of his own bed.

"You should head home and rest." Dr. Hikari caught his son yawning, and gently ruffled the boy's hair. "I'll be here a little longer, but you can take Rockman with you. His help was really precious to us."

Netto saw the dark rings under his father's eyes, but he couldn't plead for his father to come back home with him. He knew how crucial his father's presence in the labs was, and how his friends' Navis had better chances of recovery if Dr. Hikari worked on their repairs in person.

"Okay. But you have to promise that you'll at least sleep a few hours, alright ? Or you'll get so tired that you might type the wrong code, and Searchman'll end up with a third arm or something …"

Dr. Hikari laughed softly. "I promise you that this won't happen. I will take a nap at some point. And I will drop by at home in the early hours of the morning, if you want to be the one who delivers his PET to Dingo."

"Right ! I've got to bring him Mama's cookies, too." Netto felt his stomach growl at the mere thought of the cookies. "I'm sure he'll be happy to have Tomahawkman back. They'll keep each other company."

Netto thought of Dingo lying all alone in his cold hospital bedroom, unable to properly enjoy his beloved curry, or even to move from his bed. It had felt awful, seeing his rowdy, self-assured friend in such a state.

Netto knew that Dingo would be back on his feet sooner than everyone thought, but a part of him still wished that he could erase those memories from his own brain.

Netto gave his father a quick hug, and hurried to get his PET. He received a round of thanks from the scientist team, who were all sad to see Rockman go.

"How did it go ?" Netto asked his Navi, as he made his way out of the labs. "Searchman and Tomahawkman are gonna be fine, right ?"

"I did everything I could to help. And I'm sure they'll be okay, with Papa and everyone else taking care of them." Rockman assured, his little hologram appearing over the PET that Netto held in both hands. "Tomahawkman's PET was badly damaged, because it seemed like the CrossFusion broke after CF Tomahawkman's core was destroyed, but it was nothing they couldn't fix. This happened to us before, remember ? And we made a full recovery."

Netto was glad to hear his Navi's reassuring words, but his fresh memories made it hard to stay optimistic. "What about Searchman ? Can they fully cure him ?"

"It's a work in progress, but I'm sure they'll find a way to purge the darkness out of him." Rockman assured.

"I hope it's not a way that involves making a dark clone of Searchman, and pouring all the darkness into it …" Netto had a shiver. "Right ?"

"It's not." Rockman winced. "Even if the circumstances are similar, the technology has evolved ever since. They have found a way to isolate the corrupted data, and to restore most of it. If they can't repair the data directly, they will delete it, then recreate it. Searchman will be back to normal soon."

Netto allowed himself a little sigh. The half-lies he had told Dingo earlier were now the truth.

"We'll go bring Dingo his PET tomorrow. And cookies, too." Netto informed his Navi. "But first, I need a million hours of sleep."

"And you deserve them." Rockman nodded sagely. He could see the rings under Netto's eyes, matching his father's, and wondered how Netto could still even walk.

The past two days had been exhausting, physically and emotionally. And while Rockman had carefully avoided the topic, he knew that the emotional weight heaving on Netto's shoulders would not be lifted until Laika was rescued.


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Unethical science returns \o/   
> It's villain backstory time !

Laika awoke to a terrible headache. His memories from the past hours were fuzzy - or had it been days ? He had long stopped trying to keep track of the time that passed. He hadn't seen a ray of sunlight since he had walked into that warehouse, what felt like an eternity ago.

He was locked in a cell for most of the time. It wasn't a dirty prison cell - the place offered basic comfort, almost like a cheap hotel room. It had a mattress and a bed, a pillow and a blanket. A small table was shoved in a corner of the room, and came with a metal chair.

Another corner was occupied by the bathroom facilities - a shower that only delivered cold water, a toilet and a sink. Laika had even been given a piece of soap and a towel. His meals were just enough to keep his body alive, but he had not felt hunger since he had been captured. His body was feeding on something else.

The whole facility had to be underground, as there was no trace of a single window wherever Laika was taken to. The humidity stuck to Laika's skin, and cold sweats often woke him up in the middle of what he assumed was the night.

His only markers were the regular visits of his captors. Two burly men would open the cell's reinforced metal door, and handcuff him before they removed the shackle that kept him bound to one wall. They would grab him each by one shoulder, and shove him out of his holding cell. They pushed him to the labs, where he was invariably tied up again, shackles closing around his wrists and ankles. The real torture only began then.

Over the course of the past few rounds, the young scientist had gradually increased the doses of Dark Aura that she administered to her test subject. She was delighted each time she saw the red tint take over Laika's eyes, each time he started to struggle against his bonds, with increasing strength. She made a mental note to add another layer of metal cuff, once she really took the experiment to its presumed limit.

"You're resilient, soldier. I'm in awe, really." The scientist once confessed, with a little nod at her own words. She scribbled more observations onto her notepad, without even looking at it. "Of course, there was no real theory around the human body's resilience to Dark Aura before, but you've already exceeded all my expectations."

"You have me … delighted." Laika wheezed, with as much sarcasm as he could muster. The scientist had just opened the IV drip's valve, and Laika could already feel the unpleasant warmth spread through his body again. He was growing accustomed to it, the burning sensation now becoming just a faint warmth. Each time the scientist increased the amount of Dark Aura, Laika's body worked its way around it, and learnt how to tame the infected energy.

This was only true up to a certain point, as the scientist would soon realize.

"How about we spruce it up a little, then ? I like your energy, really, but I could do away with that snark." The young woman laughed. "Not that I'm trying to turn you into a mindless soldier, really. You've always been a little too spunky for a soldier, haven't you ? And here I thought that all military goons were like poorly coded Navis … With no brain of their own. Only able to bark when they were told to bark, and bite when they were told to bite."

Laika winced at the woman's metaphor. He found himself missing his dear Morosov. During his long hours of solitude in the cell, his thoughts rarely had much time to travel to the people he so dearly missed. He spent most of them fast asleep, and when he finally awoke, his brain was always too tired to put two thoughts together.

"Oh, did I hit a sensitive chord ?" The woman asked, misunderstanding Laika's expression. "I was actually trying to compliment you, but fine, take it that way. Not that it'll really matter once this Dark Aura really kicks in, anyway."

Laika had a glance for the pouch of dark purple liquid. It was emptier than usual.

"Did you notice ? We're gonna reach a milestone here ! I'm tired of gradual increments. They're boring. So instead of going one by one, we're jumping right from six DarkChips to a whopping ten !"

The woman was almost giddy, and could hardly contain her excitement. Her now green eyes sparkled behind her glasses, which she hastily adjusted on her nose.

"Maybe I should be more careful, because I wouldn't want to ruin you so fast … But I've got to figure out your limit, one way or another. And I've noticed how your body's getting too comfortable around the Dark Aura, like it's just some kinda virus it can fight off by itself. No, I want to give your system a good slap in the face, so to speak … And see what happens when it's really stimulated. Soon enough, you'll have enough Dark Aura in your veins to become a human Darkloid !"

Laika was not thrilled by that idea at all. His face contorted in winces, his fists closing so tight that his joints whitened. The faint warmth was becoming hotter and hotter, like lava pouring straight into his veins.

The scientist called for her guards, and motioned for them to stand by each of Laika's sides. They were the brawns to her experiment, and were ready to hold Laika down, in case his restraints started to show signs of weakness. They weren’t under her direct command, but rather received payment from the Shademan himself. They never asked questions, and only did what they were told.

The darkness flooded Laika's mind, washing away what sane thoughts he still had. He forgot all about where he was, about who he was. All that mattered was that he destroyed whoever tried to stand in his way.

Laika struggled against his bonds. The Dark Aura pulsed in his muscles, the dosage so strong that his veins became visibly darker. He twisted and thrashed, and screamed.

"Hold him down." The woman ordered. Her face had lost all signs of amusement, an almost professional look taking over her traits. She furiously wrote down all her thoughts and observations, but deep down, she was beyond thrilled. Finally, she had crossed some kind of threshold. She had forced the soldier to burst through his own body's limits. All she had to do now was sit back, and see whether her test subject would survive.

The two men struggled against Laika's thrashing. The metal bounds that kept Laika tied to his bed groaned under the strain, Laika's strength now way beyond human. The dark energy didn't only corrupt his mind, it also gave him a kind of power that no human being had ever possessed before. It was the Dark Aura's main selling point - it bestowed unlimited strength upon whoever accepted it, in exchange for their humanity.

For a moment, the scientist thought that Laika would break free. She reached under her lab coat, and let her hand slide to her belt. She doubted that a pocket knife would be of much use against a corrupted, superhuman being, but it was better than nothing. She would have to borrow a better weapon from one of her men, in the future.

To her slight disappointment, Laika's thrashing eventually came to a halt. Laika was left panting and gasping for air, his traits contorted by a deep frown. Droplets of sweat rolled down his forehead, his body turned into a furnace by its effort to repel the Dark Aura. Despite the scientist's efforts, his system was still able to discern the threat, and his mind wasn't quite ready to embrace the power. This test subject proved to be a tough nut to crack.

"Maybe I should have went for the kid instead …" The woman grumbled to herself. As much as she enjoyed all her experiments, she had been dying to see Laika finally break. On the other hand, the longer she had to wait, the more epic the grand finale would be.

"Well done, soldier. You've survived once again." The scientist sighed. She could tell that Laika wasn't listening, and doubted that he could even hear her words at all. His body still shook with uncontrollable spasms, and his eyes darted in every direction, pupils dilated wide, the red glint still shining in his irises.

"Take him to his cell. And give him enough food to last for 24 hours." The woman commanded, gesturing at a third man to take care of everything – the paramedic who had tagged along on Laika’s kidnapping. She needed a little break, so she could figure out what to do next.

Laika was carefully uncuffed from the bed, only for his wrists to be tied together again. He was unable to stand, let alone walk, so one of the guards slung his shivering body onto his shoulder.

The guard dumped Laika rather unceremoniously on the mattress of his cell, and hesitated for a moment as he reached for the room's chain. It wouldn't be much longer until this guy broke down completely, and what would be next ? The NetSaviors wouldn't let themselves be caught off guard again, so capturing another one of them would be even trickier. He doubted that the scientist could wait very long before she got her hands on a new test subject - and Shademan might not be so lenient that he would help them twice, especially if the first experiment didn't produce the results he expected.

Lost in his thoughts, the guard almost forgot about his duty. He sent a panicked glance over his shoulder, but fortunately, the prisoner hadn't moved from his bed. He was still shaking madly, his glassy eyes staring blankly in the distance. It would be a while before he regained consciousness again.

The man tied the chain's sole handcuff to Laika's wrist, and removed the cuffs that kept his wrists bound together. He left the cell without another glance back, and tried to shake off the feeling that next time he opened the door, he would discover a dead body behind it.

"Took you long enough." The scientist grumbled, once her subordinate returned. She was waiting in the facility's kitchen - a small, dirty room, which reeked of stale coffee and humidity. The neon light gave a slight buzzing noise, and flickered every so often.

"I'm s-sorry, miss Andou." The man apologized, staring down at his feet. "He was shaking so much, I had trouble getting his handcuffs off."

The scientist observed him for a moment, not convinced. "It's _professor_ Andou for you. And don't disappoint me again. I can call off our deal whenever I want, now that I've seen how you do the whole IV thing. It's nothing I couldn't do myself, really …"

The man didn't dare look up yet, a bitter wince twisting at his lips. He owed this woman everything he had in his life, but he resented her for rubbing it in his face whenever she had the chance.

Andou took a sip out of the coffee cup she held in one hand, and glanced down at her notebook. A highlight marker was placed within her reach, and a few observations were already covered in bright orange.

"Are the results satisfactory so far ?" The man dared to ask. He looked to be in his late twenties, early thirties, close to the scientist's age, but his frown of worry made him look much older. "His reaction to today's dose was … extreme."

"You think so ? I expected much worse." Andou confessed. As much as she liked to keep her subordinates under check, she also liked talking about her experiments too much to turn down the man's questions. "I really thought that he'd at least break out of his bonds, but he wasn't strong enough yet … I'm going to need stronger bodyguards at some point."

She had a pointed glance for the man's frame - he was sturdy, but not overly ripped. Out of her few men, he was the only one Andou had any consideration for. His skills as a former paramedic were useful to her experiment, and she knew that he still wasn't over being fired from his previous job. He had been delighted to help her steal the ambulance, a task made much easier by how accustomed he was to a hospital's environment.

The rest of her men had been hired by chance. All it had taken was an ad on the darkest parts of the Net, a call for the remnants of the Darkloids’ supporters to gather up. These people were way too sketchy for her to confide her plans' details to, but she liked their brawns, and their lack of a critical mind.

All it had taken was using Shademan's name in the advert. Andou had a smile at the thought. Truly, she had placed her bets on the right horse.

"He looked quite shaken up. I don't think you'll be getting anything out of him for a while." The man added. He immediately knew that he had said too much.

Andou set her cup down, a cold fire burning in her naturally brown eyes. "Oh, I'll get everything I want from him. I'll corrupt him until he tries to break free. If he snaps a neck or two on his way, then it's too bad."

Her mood snapped at once, and she slammed her fist on the table, making her subordinate jump in fright. Andou's anger spells could be quite terrifying.

"I will not let this experiment fail ! I know that the world isn't quite ready for its results yet, but I can wait. I'll dump the test subject's body in a ditch, if that's what it takes to keep this all a secret. I tried, I tried so hard to stay within the stupid limits, but they always had an excuse ! These stupid old men have no idea where the future is. They keep their grubby hands on their money, and they only give it out to scientists with connections. There's none left for brilliant young people, with brilliant ideas like mine."

The young woman was out of breath, but the fire in her eyes burnt brighter than ever. "I have Lord Shademan's trust now. He's the only one who truly supports me. I'm not a fool, I know that it's in his best interest too that this experiment is a success … But I also know that he will not let me go once I've completed my tasks. He owes me too much."

As much as he shared Andou's views on this corrupted world, the man had his doubts on the Darkloid's intentions. He was aware of the circumstances surrounding his comeback, and of the bond that linked him to Andou, but he had also heard that Darkloids were all, by nature, double-crossing traitors.

Andou's outburst ended as abruptly as it had started. She finished her coffee in one gulp, and went to dump the cup in a sink, where a dozen more cups were waiting to be cleaned. The stench of stale coffee tore a wince from the scientist.

"Clean this up." She motioned at the dirty cups. "And don't forget about the test subject's meals. I don't want him to die on us from something so stupid as starvation."

Andou made her way out of the room, wishing she could go outside to take a breath of fresh air. Walking out of her hideout was too dangerous, when the NetPolice was surely all over the country, trying to hunt her down. They didn't even know her identity, but the young woman had always been careful.

If she wanted to be recognized as the greatest scientist of her generation, she would have to think every part of her plans through. So far, everything had gone like she had expected it, except for the presence of another NetSavior. His testimony couldn't possibly lead the NetPolice onto her tracks, so she felt certain that this one change in her plans would have no impact on her research whatsoever.

She would succeed where everyone had failed before, and force everyone who had every looked down upon her to regret their words and actions. They would be the first to pay. Not even the great Doctor Regal had managed to harness the power of Dark Aura, his greed and pride consuming him before he could achieve anything worthwhile.

Andou would not make the same mistakes as her predecessors.


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Tomahawkman has rejoined the party !   
> Please stand by and enjoy the bittersweet fluff, before the angst resumes in chapter 12 x)

Netto's night was short, but very restful. He fell asleep the moment his head hit his pillow, his stomach full of his mother's delicious cooking. He had resisted the urge to devour the entire pile of home-made cookies, remembering his promise to bring Dingo some in the morning.

He woke up before the sun, torn away from his sleep by the sound of steps in his bedroom. Netto's eyelids opened with much strain, and he was surprised to see his father's face, illuminated by a PET's flashlight.

"You can sleep a little longer, Netto." His father whispered. He hadn't meant to wake up his son, but the boy's sleep hadn't been as deep as the scientist first thought. "I only came to leave Tomahawkman's PET here, so as to avoid you a trip to the labs."

He switched off the PET's flashlight, and set it down onto Netto's desk.

A faint smile tugged at Netto's lips. "So he's all fixed ?" He asked in a hoarse voice.

"Yes. He's as good as new, just like his PET." Dr. Hikari nodded. "I have to head back to the labs already. Sleep well."

The doctor had a caress for his son's head, and exited the room as quietly as he could. He saw Netto's head crash onto his pillow again, and guessed that the boy was already fast asleep.

Another light soon illuminated the room. Rockman had been listening to the conversation, his PET half-hidden under Netto's pillow, where it often landed after Netto fell asleep with the device in his hand.

Rockman immediately reached out to his friend, wondering if he was still in sleep mode, or if he had been reactivated already. Rockman was happy to get a ping in response, and immediately jumped over to Tomahawkman's PET. He found his friend sitting on his PET's floor, deeply lost in his thoughts.

"It's so good to see you again, Tomahawkman !" Rockman exclaimed. He gave his friend a quick look from the distance, and wasn't surprised to find no traces of the fight on his body. Navis had that advantage over humans : as long as they weren't deleted, they could (in theory) recover from any kind of wound.

"Rockman !" A bright smile illuminated Tomahawkman's face, chasing away the gloomy look from his face. The turquoise Navi jumped to his feet, and instead of shaking the hand Rockman offered him, he pulled Rockman into a tight hug.

"Thank you." Tomahawkman whispered, his voice breaking instantly. "You and Netto … you saved Dingo's life."

Rockman patted his friend's back, and tried not to think about how worried he had been during this entire mission. The image of Dingo's limp body, at the mercy of CF Searchman's gun, was one that he would very much like to erase from his mind.

"You don't have to thank me." Rockman assured, a warm smile gracing his features. He let Tomahawkman pull away from the hug, but kept a hand on his friend's shoulder. "He'll make a full recovery, I'm sure, with that stubbornness of his."

"That sounds about right." Tomahawkman laughed. Despite Rockman's reassuring words, he knew that he wouldn't feel calm until he could see his operator again. He nervously scratched at his cheek, trying to keep himself from mulling over the latest events.

"I also wanted to ask … Do we have any updates on Laika and Searchman ? Dr. Hikari wouldn't tell me much. All I know is that he was still working on Searchman, so at least it means he's not been deleted …"

Rockman had seen this question come, and chose to be fully honest, just like Netto had been with Dingo before. "After Netto and I defeated CF Searchman, Netto luckily kept Searchman's PET with him. As for Laika … he was kidnapped by the enemy, right after we rescued him from the warehouse."

"He was what ?!" Tomahawkman exclaimed. He immediately slammed a hand over his mouth, recalling that his PET might not be muted.

Rockman explained the situation in further detail, and was glad to see Tomahawkman try to keep his calm.

"Everyone at the NetPolice is working as hard as they can to find him." Rockman promised. "I don't have the most recent updates, seeing as I've spent most of my times at the Ministry, helping with Searchman's recovery …"

Tomahawkman's traits contorted into a deep frown. "I can't believe they'd kidnap him … We should've seen it coming, with all the nonsense Shademan kept spouting."

"Don't blame yourself. Dingo was quick to do that as well, but it won't help us. It won't help Laika." Rockman insisted, not wanting to let Tomahawkman trap himself in the same vicious cycle as his operator. "Once Searchman has recovered, we'll have higher chances of finding Laika. For now, we should all try to take some rest, so that we can be at the top of our strength when we can finally rescue him."

Tomahawkman gave a nod, even if he wasn't entirely convinced. He knew Dingo by heart, and was certain that he would find his operator with a thousand escape plans, and a few more thousand ways to hunt down the kidnappers. If the NetPolice had any leads before Dingo was back on his feet, there would be no stopping the boy from doing something stupid.

"You'll need someone to keep Dingo off your nerves, then." Tomahawkman smirked. Having to play bad cop would be a very nice distraction from all this turmoil. "I hope they've got some strong-headed nurses at that hospital, or he's gonna make the whole staff want to quit …"

Rockman had a chuckle. "He can't be that bad … Can he ?"

Tomahawkman threw his hands up in the air. "Oh, you wouldn't even imagine. Think of the craziest thing Netto's done, and make it ten times worse. How's that sound ?"

"Very, very bad indeed." Rockman laughed again. It felt good to be chatting so lightly, even if neither he nor Tomahawkman had really stopped thinking about the issues at stake. Everyone deserved a break, before they headed right into another storm.

There would be no rest before Laika was back amongst them.


	11. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Dingo has too much alone time as the hospital, and ends up questioning the very existence of the NetSaviors.
> 
> As much as I love a good shounen story where the kids are the heroes, even I have to step back sometimes, and wonder what the adults are even thinking x)
> 
> If you made it until this chapter, thanks a lot and congratulations ! You're almost halfway through \o/

Dingo woke up with the early rays of sunlight. It felt odd to be up that early, when his work routine only required for him to be up for the lunch shift. He had taken a bad habit to fall asleep late, and sleep in until Tomahawkman got bored waiting.

He half-expected to hear his Navi comment on this incredible feat, but when he reached out for his PET, he found only his bed's cold railings. Dingo suddenly remembered where he was, and also recalled his Navi's absence. Netto had promised that Tomahawkman would be returned to him by the next morning, so the wait couldn't be more than a few hours longer.

Despite the heavy doses of anesthetics that still coursed through his veins, Dingo felt less groggy than before. He had spent most of the past 48 hours fast asleep, so perhaps his body was already done replenishing its short-term energy.

Unable to fall asleep again, Dingo considered calling the nurse for an early breakfast. He tried to take a glance at the bandages on his chest, but he couldn't quite tell if they were stained or not. If someone had come to change them recently, he hadn't noticed a thing.

Dingo turned to the only distraction that his hospital bedroom had to offer : a TV, hanging from the wall right across his bed. He searched around him for the remote control, and found it on the little table right by his bed. The paper bag that had contained Dekao's curry buns was gone, confirming that someone had come to clean up while Dingo was deeply asleep.

Dingo reached the remote with less trouble than he had catching the curry buns from the bag. He switched the TV on, and soon discovered that TV could be quite the bore, so early in the morning. The only channel that caught his attention was, much to his own surprise, the local news channel.

"… NetPolice is still investigating the location. The neighboring area has been closed off for safety, but it is recommended to avoid the docks, as the smell of burnt material is still strong, and might inconvenience the most sensitive people."

Dingo felt his heart skip a beat. His eyes were glued to the small TV screen, as if he might miss crucial information if he looked away.

The news report focused on the fire for a moment, and Dingo almost thought that the press might still not know about the truth behind it. He was about to switch the TV off again, when he heard the reporter's words.

"The fire is rumored to be linked to one of the NetPolice's initiatives : a brigade of young licensed NetBattlers, called the NetSaviors. According to the same rumors, a member of the aforementioned NetSaviors' is currently hospitalized after the incident, and another has went missing. The NetPolice's chief, Commissioner Kifune, has refused to comment on the matter."

The feed cut to images of the NetPolice's headquarters. The steps leading to the building's entrance were swarmed with journalists, and the commissioner struggled to make his way through the pack of poking microphones and shouting people.

Dingo's mind blanked out for a while. He hadn't imagined that this whole story would break out so fast - but then, he wasn't exactly certain how much time had passed since he had landed in this hospital. With the Cyberworld covering the entire human realm, and the speed at which news travelled across the world, no event could be kept secret for too long. The fire would have piqued the locals’ interest, and the presence of DarkChips inside the warehouse couldn't have been kept a secret. The journalists who hurried to the scene couldn't have missed the ambulances dashing away at full speed, either.

When Dingo finally found the courage to face the screen again, the journalist had been replaced by a group of men sitting around a table. The segment didn't seem to be a live broadcast, but it was very animated. Dingo only recognized one face - Commissioner Kifune, looking like he was cornered. It didn't take Dingo long to figure out why.

"Your initiative was a disaster !" A man yelled, waving a finger as he spoke. "You cannot expect children to succeed where highly trained professionals need months of hard work !"

"These children have received appropriate training, and they had all shown excellent potential." Kifune kept his calm, much unlike the other men who sat at the table. He kept his hands crossed in front of him, and stood his ground firmly. "The NetSavior initiative was never created to turn its members into full-time NetPolice agents."

"If that is true, then why did you not assign this mission to your higher ranked agents ?" Another man retorted, his glasses inching down his nose as he glared at Kifune.

"This mission was meant to be a mere inspection of the warehouse. We assigned it to the NetSaviors specifically because it presented little to no risks. Of course, we could not have foretold Shademan's return."

"You could not, or you _did_ not ? Where does bad luck stop, and where does incompetence start, Commissioner Kifune ?" A third man accused. He was the calmest of the three, his words meant to cut like sharp knives. He didn't raise his voice, letting his words seep into Kifune's confidence instead.

"Our agents are working our hardest to identify where we went wrong during our preliminary study." Kifune admitted. "We have successfully eliminated the Darkloids once, and we will achieve it again."

The first man wanted to start screaming again, but he was interrupted by a hand motion from the calm man.

"And how exactly will you achieve that ?" The man questioned. "By sending more members of your children army after a deadly enemy ? Do I need to remind you that one of your agents is already hospitalized, and that, according to our information, another one has went missing ?"

This was more than Dingo could handle. He felt anger flood his entire being, and smashed the remote control's "off" button with his thumb. He then wanted to fling the remote at the TV screen, but his weakened arms couldn't throw it that far. The remote fell on his leg instead, and tore a cry of frustration from Dingo.

Tears came stinging at his eyes. His first instinct had been to root for Kifune, but the more he had listened to the other men's arguments, the more he started to doubt himself.

Netto, Enzan and Laika had been part of the initiative for much longer than him, and even when the CrossFusion squad was active, such matters had never come up. These "kids" had saved the world more than once, and yet these three men still treated the NetSaviors as a bunch of untrained amateurs.

Dingo had only been accepted after he had passed a battery of tests, and because Laika had personally recommended him to Commissioner Kifune. Dingo still remembered how odd it had felt to see Laika remove his hat, and perform a bow in front of the police's chief, demanding that Kifune considered Dingo's application with particular attention.

Or was the truth on the side of the three men ? Had the NetPolice only been manipulating him this whole time ? It seemed odd, in retrospect, that the NetPolice would rely on children rather than on their own, highly trained agents. Was this all some kind of way they had found to make the police force more "kid-friendly" ? Was it all just a communication campaign ?

The NetPolice had failed. That much was certain, no matter which side Dingo tried to take. They had failed to see the Darkloids' threat rise, and they had been caught by surprise.

Dingo angrily wiped his tears. This was all giving him a massive headache, and draining away what energy he had finally gathered. He should be focusing on his recovery, rather than losing his nerves at the adults' problems.

A knock at the door tore Dingo aware from his contemplations. His eyes snapped to the door, and he suddenly remembered that he had been expecting some visit.

"Yo." Netto called, with a little wave for his friend. His other hand was also raised, holding a very familiar item.

A smile tugged at Dingo's lips. As much as his Navi liked to grate on his nerves, he was happy to have Tomahawkman by his side again.

"Here you go." Netto handed the turquoise PET to its rightful owner, smirking slightly. "You guys better not go at each other's throat when you're alone, or I'll have to take Tomahawkman away again."

"That's up to him, not me …" Dingo grumbled, more amused than truly annoyed. He watched his Navi's hologram appear above the PET, and couldn't help smiling again.

"It's good to see you, Dingo." Tomahawkman wore one of his brightest smiles. "Glad to see you haven't lost all your snark."

"If anything, I've got more of it than before." Dingo retorted. "That's what you get when you're forced to lie down for two days …"

"You'll be back on your feet sooner than you think." Tomahawkman promised, and earned a nod of approval from Netto as well. "And then, we can go kick some Darkloid butt."

Dingo's smile became a little more strained. His eyes were probably still red from his crying earlier, but he hoped that his friends would think of it as a sign of tiredness.

A short silence settled, until Netto recalled about the backpack he was carrying. "I almost forgot ! You haven't had breakfast yet, right ?"

He slung the backpack in front of him, and produced a large box of the awaited homemade cookies. He opened the metal lid, and held the box out for Dingo to make his pick. "There you go ! Fresh from yesterday."

Dingo gave the box a glance, and addressed Netto a mocking smile. "That box doesn't look full. You didn't eat half my share on your way here, right ?"

"That's a very unfair accusation !" Netto protested. "I'm better than this !"

"He only ate two cookies." Rockman thought wise to add, his hologram always standing on Netto's shoulder. "I had to stop him before he ate more …"

Netto had an angry glare for his Navi, which earned him a chuckle from Dingo.

"I'll forgive him, then." He decided, and finally reached out to grab a cookie from the box. He tried not to get crumbs all over his bedsheets, and took a bite of the cookie with much appetite. They were as delicious as their scent indicated.

"Wow. They're really good." Dingo commented, feeling glad that he could count on his friends to escape from the hospital food ordeal. "What d'she put in the dough ?"

"Let's see … On top of chocolate chips, I think she added some powdered hazelnuts. And a hint of vanilla, too." Netto recalled. "But she never told me the full recipe. Mama can very protective over her cooking secrets, sometimes …"

"I can't blame her there." Dingo nodded. A good chef never revealed all their secrets.

Netto sat down in the chair by Dingo's bed, and set the cookie box where they could both reach it. He noticed the remote control lying by Dingo's legs, and reached out to pick it up, wondering how it had landed there in the first place.

"Ah, you can put it on the table. Don't need it." Dingo interrupted, when Netto tried to hand him the remote control. "There's nothing worth watching. I'll just ask Maha to bring me some video games and comic books …"

"You're speaking as if I'll let you get bored." Tomahawkman laughed. He caught a deep sadness in his operator's eyes, and wondered why the TV remote could have sparked such a reaction in Dingo.

Dingo pretended to be angry at his Navi, if only to try and make Netto forget about the remote control. He was glad to see Netto set it down on the table without any questions.

"We could have a game tournament here someday !" Netto suggested, his enthusiasm never dampened. "Or play some board games, too. Oh, and maybe I could have you help me with homework, since you're gonna be stuck here anyway …"

Dingo winced in disgust, and shook his head. "That ain't happening. I'd rather be forced to stay here a whole month than help you with that."

"I thought you'd say that." Netto smirked, glad that his strategy had worked to perfection. "See, your situation isn't that bad after all."

Dingo's expression softened, but the relief didn't last long. He did his best to keep a smile, however strained it might be.

"Yeah. And it's not like I'll actually be here for a whole month …"

Or so he hoped.


	12. Chapter 12

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The unethical science reaches its climax :3c   
> Don't try this at home, kids ...

Laika could not tell how much time had passed since his capture. He had stopped counting his meals, or trying to keep up with the scientist's own timetable. He was left to his own devices for what felt like an eternity, each round of experiments leaving him more dazed than the previous one.

The scientist resumed her steady pace in her experiment's progress. Rather than inflicting Laika a sudden leap in the dosage again, she went back to adding one extra dose for each round, however boring that was. She forced herself to keep the next leap for a great milestone. She wanted to see the look of horror on her test subject's face, when she would empty a bag of Dark Aura into his veins for the first time.

Laika wasn't given much chance to think about escaping. In the few moments when he recovered his senses, his mind was numb, his consciousness lost in a deep fog. Everything around him felt unreal, even his own body.

He could feel a slight buzz in his muscles when he first woke up, the remnants of the Dark Aura being processed by his immune system. A slow increase in the dosage allowed his body to grow accustomed to the dark energy again, and Laika could tell that he had become more powerful.

He realized it first-hand when he accidentally crushed a glass of water with his bare hand. The shards of glass sliced into his palm, and Laika witnessed another change in himself : his blood had turned darker. It wasn't anywhere near the liquid Dark Aura's deep purple, but it wasn't a natural color, either. Even hours after a round of experiment, his blood remained tainted by the dark energy.

Laika had no mirror in his room, but he knew for sure that he looked closer to a ghost than to a human being. He could imagine the dark bags under his eyes, and his limbs were visibly thinner, despite his increasing strength. His body drained deep into its emergency supplies, the food he managed to ingest not enough to fully feed him.

He no longer minded the lingering humidity in his holding cell. Even if he was only skin and bones, a faint warmth permanently oozed across his limbs, almost comfortingly. It didn't feel like a fever - it was more like sitting in front of a fireplace in the depths of winter. Laika liked the warmth, even though he knew that it was just another symptom of his infection.

Laika expected his captor to lose patience sooner or later. When he wasn't asleep, or awake but unable to think at all, Laika tried to understand the scientist's thought pattern. Something tied her to Shademan, a link strong enough to make the Darkloid help her with his capture. In exchange, the scientist was trying to figure out how much Dark Aura a human body could contain. Was she planning on making a human army to serve the Darkloids ? Was conquering the Cyberworld not enough for the Darkloids ?

She was just another Regal. A brilliant, but insane mind, a megalomaniac devoid of any sympathy for her own kin. With her levels of knowledge, she must have been trained amongst the ranks of the Ministry of Science, yet something had gone wrong.

Laika wasn't trying to feel any sympathy for her either. If his body kept on learning how to tame the Dark Aura, maybe he could use it against her. He only had to wait until he gained enough physical strength, all while keeping his mind under control. Still, he wondered if the Dark Aura would eventually twist his mind into swearing allegiance to her, and to the Darkloids she was working for. The part of him that wallowed in the comforting warmth didn't find the idea so revolting.

As Laika had expected, the scientist eventually lost her patience.

"Alright, soldier. Today's another big day for you." She warned, as Laika felt the IV's needle sink under his skin once more. "Can you guess what I'm about to do ?"

"Give me a medal and thank me for my service ?" Laika sneered. He winced a little when the paramedic opened the IV. A hotter sensation than usual flooded his veins, the warmth not at all comforting.

"Bzzt ! Wrong answer !" Andou retorted, without departing from her wide smirk. "Today, we're making another big leap. I think it's about time I pushed you out of your comfort zone, don't you think ? After all, you've been having it easy these past few rounds. You must have noticed it yourself."

Laika couldn't prove her wrong. He wondered how much of his time in the holding cell was also monitored. She had surely planted security cameras around the room, or maybe she kept his body's signals in check with the cuff around his wrist.

"Anyways … I don't want you getting the wrong idea. You've probably thought to yourself that you could use your new strength to break out of here, or perhaps even to hurt me … But you're nowhere near strong enough for that. Today, I'm going to make sure that this clever brain of yours can't keep coming up with plans to threaten me."

Laika remained silent again. He gave his bonds a little tug, but the paramedic had tied another layer of metal around his wrist, after the other day's incident. His eyes travelled to the side of his stretcher, and widened when he saw the pouch of Dark Aura. It was already half-empty.

"You're starting to get it, aren't you ?" The scientist took a step back. She eyed her subordinate, who nodded silently. Excitement was coursing through her veins, but it didn't make her any less careful. The soldier's reaction to this amount of Dark Aura was bound to be explosive.

The pouch kept emptying visibly, its contents streaming straight into Laika's veins, burning like lava. Laika squirmed and struggled against his bonds, but he was powerless, as the Dark Aura flooded his senses more and more. Before he knew it, the pouch was empty.

The human body wasn't meant to harness the power of twenty liquefied Dark Chips. An ear-splitting scream filled the lab, and dark purple streaks spread across Laika's skin, tracing the Dark Aura's path inside his system. He thrashed even more, his body shaking with violent spasms, the metal bonds groaning under the strain.

Terror filled the paramedic's eyes. He took a step back a miraculous second before hell broke loose.

With a blood-curling screech, Laika broke free from his shackles. His veins pulsed visibly under his skin, the purple cracks now spreading to his face as well. There was no hint of blue left in his irises, not a hint of humanity left on his face at all, his lips twisted by a crazed grin.

Andou didn't hesitate. She dashed out of the lab, and took refuge behind the reinforced glass wall that kept it separate from the corridor.

Her subordinate wasn't so lucky. Once Laika had torn himself free from the IV drip, he pounced on the closest opponent he could find. The levels of Dark Aura in his blood didn't let him discriminate between friend or foe - his only goal was to get out, no matter how many necks he had to snap on his way.

The man reacted just fast enough to avoid a nasty blow. He rolled to the ground, barely escaping the kick that Laika sent his way, but he was already cornered. Fueled with superhuman strength, Laika pounced on the man and picked him up by the neck, his grip as strong as a vice.

There was no emotion in the soldier's eyes, except for unbridled rage. The dark energy that pumped through his veins had made him into a mindless beast, a monster on the loose. A killing machine.

The man saw his life flash before his eyes. He tried to pry himself free, and kick Laika away, but his attempts didn't even faze the corrupted soldier.

The sound of a gunshot filled the small lab. A sharp cry of pain followed, and Laika suddenly released his grip around the man's neck. The latter crumpled to the floor, while Laika slowly stared down. Blood gushed out of a hole in his leg.

Laika turned around, and leapt for the door. Andou had only meant to gain a little time for her subordinate to react, but she had also underestimated Laika's ability to ignore his pain. A dangerous mix of adrenaline and Dark Aura kept him going, more enraged than ever.

Andou aimed her gun at the soldier again, but she was too slow. Laika easily swatted the gun out of her grip, and aimed a kick at her chest, sending her flying against the wall. He strode past the open door and grabbed the woman by the collar, a twinge of discernment flashing in his eyes.

"Give me more … more !" He slammed Andou against the wall, not realizing that he might just kill her before he obtained what he wanted. His mind was entirely corrupted, much like a Navi's after an overdose of DarkChips.

A strained, but delighted smirk tugged at Andou's lips. "I did it … I broke you." She wheezed, still struggling to breathe with Laika's knuckle tearing into her neck. "So this is the limit … Before you snap. Took you … long enough."

Laika was about to finish her off, when his frame suddenly went stiff. Andou felt his grip on her collar weaken, and took that chance to push him off her.

She watched Laika stumble back, his hands rushing to his head, his shoulders hunched. A needle was stuck in his neck, and right behind him stood Andou's subordinate, his legs shaking under the effort.

The man had regained his senses fast, and filled a whole needle of the most powerful tranquilized they had in store. The product now fought a head-on battle against the Dark Aura, the war happening right inside Laika's body.

Laika crumbled to the floor, his body shaken by violent spasms. Andou leaned over to grab the needle from his neck, and looked down with a mix of amazement and regret. She wouldn't have appreciated being killed at the hands of her test subject, of course, but she felt a twinge of disappointment to see him go down so fast.

His weak body was at the mercy of whatever products were injected into it, and that anesthetic was powerful enough to kill a horse. Even the power of twenty Dark Chips wasn't enough to resist it.

"Carry him to his room. And clean up his wound." Andou wheezed, eyeing her subordinate with an unusual expression. In the space of five minutes, they had both saved each other's life.

The man read the unspoken words in Andou's eyes. He heaved Laika's shaking frame over his shoulder, and dragged him more than he carried him to his holding cell.

He would have to go back to gather his medical supplies, while Andou put some order in the laboratory area. There was so cleaning up to do, after Laika had knocked over most of the equipment they had.

Andou watched her assistant walk away, and found herself wondering why she had even saved his life in the first place. _He's still useful to me_. She admitted, even though she had already told him the opposite. He was her only real human connection here, as she hardly interacted with the muscle heads who watched the corridors. She liked having someone to share her plans and thoughts with, even if she valued no opinion higher than her own.

The young woman took a glance at her lab, and felt a great rush of pride. Shademan would soon get the report he wanted, and they could both move on to the next part of their plan.

Bringing him back from the dead had been Andou's best initiative in her whole life.


	13. Chapter 13

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is the equivalent of the training arc in your regular shounen anime x)

Searchman was reactivated three days after Tomahawkman. He was kept under observation by Dr. Hikari for another day, the genius scientist taking that chance to run a whole battery of scans on the formerly infected Navi.

Searchman remained extremely silent during the whole process, staying as calm as if he were still in complete stasis. He only asked a few questions, but mostly listened to Dr. Hikari's explanations, as the scientist always took the time to explain what he was about to do.

His first question had to do with his operator. Searchman showed no emotion when he was told the whole story, keeping all his anger and resentment well hidden under a blank expression.

Once his program was deemed entirely stable, Searchman was finally discharged. He insisted to remain on standby with the NetPolice at all times, and helped them analyze every lead they had on Laika's whereabouts. Information came piece by piece, the investigation progressing at an excruciating pace.

A week and a half had passed since the incident, when progress finally came in the shape of the ambulance's charred carcass. The enemy had carefully hidden it under layers of foliage and rocks, making it invisible to the helicopters that had already scanned the mountains. From there, the police could retrace the enemy's path, and narrow down their search radius to the ambulance's area.

There were no traces of another vehicle driving away from that scene, so the enemy must have moved away by foot, most likely while carrying Laika on his stretcher.

Just as he had promised, Netto kept Dingo updated as often as he could, and visited his friend at least once a day.

"They said the enemy's got to be hiding in one of the mountains. They just don't know which one yet …" Netto explained. He had brought fresh takeout curry with him, offering Dingo the very odd sensation of being in the customer's shoes.

Dingo was still lying on his bed, but he looked a lot better than he did a week before. He was dressed in his usual shorts and sweater, hiding the layers of bandages that still covered his chest. He had patched up the sweater all by himself. There was no longer an IV drip sinking into the crook of his elbow, and he looked much less pale as well.

"So you're gonna try something soon." Dingo assumed, failing to hide the bitterness from his tone.

Netto gave his friend a knowing glance, and finished his mouthful before he spoke. "Yeah. As soon as they've narrowed it down to one mountain, they'll send a team to investigate. Most likely me and Enzan …"

"Enzan ?" Dingo nearly choked on his spoonful of rice. "What's he got to do with this ?"

"He'll be here as reinforcements. They want us to be ready to use CrossFusion, in case Shademan shows his ugly mug again. We'll have the NetPolice backing us up too."

If Dingo hadn’t hated wasting food so much, he would have flung his takeout box across the room. How come Enzan was invited to this mission, but he wasn't ? If anyone was entitled to rescuing Laika, it was him. Forcing him to stay on the sidelines and watch was too unfair.

Netto read the furor in his friend's expression. With his eyebrows so furrowed that they almost touched, and the bolts that sparked from his eyes, Dingo's face was an open book.

"You know why they're not letting you join …" Netto sighed. He felt extremely bad for his friend, but a part of him was also worried about Dingo's health.

"I can fight ! I'm almost back to top shape !" Dingo protested. "I'm sure I could pass the CrossFusion tests right now. I can feel it. My instincts are never wrong !"

Netto felt a deep twinge of sadness. As much as he understood his friend's feelings, he couldn't do anything to convince the NetPolice of accommodating their plans.

"Think of it as … a new challenge for you." Netto suggested, wracking his brains for a way to reason Dingo. It was a lost cause, and he knew it, but Netto was too stubborn to give up. "Besides, we're not even sure that this'll be the final battle. We're only going to rescue Laika, and if we can also defeat the enemy while we're at it, then it's great ! But we need all the chances on our sides right now."

"… So you're saying I'd be a dead weight." Dingo accused. The very small, reasonable part of him already knew the answer, but he was even more stubborn than Netto.

"That's not what I mean !" Netto looked down. "Or maybe it is. In any case, it's our best shot at rescuing Laika. We really can't mess up."

Dingo's ego was deeply wounded, but he couldn't think of any clever rebuttal. He had no logical arguments by his side, no rational way to convince everyone that his presence was necessary. Any objective mind would decide against him joining the mission.

"Just so you know, though …" Netto spoke in a quieter voice. "If you still decide to join, by your own means … I won't stop you."

Dingo perked up, his deep frown turning into surprise. From what he understood, Netto wouldn't be helping him openly - but Dingo didn't need that. He had a thousand different ideas in mind, and had rehearsed his escape plan in his mind more times than he could count.

"… Got it." Dingo nodded. He half-expected to hear one of their Navis openly oppose the agreement between their operators, and at that very moment, Rockman's hologram appeared above Netto's shoulder.

"For your information, Searchman has been told to remain on standby for the duration of the operation, too. We can't risk having him fall into the enemy's hands." Rockman informed, looking slightly ashamed of himself for taking part in the boy's devious plans. "I … I've also heard that he wasn't too happy with this decision."

Dingo nodded once more, sparkles of excitement dancing in his eyes. All he needed was to get his hands on Searchman's PET, find a way to the mission's site, and he would be part of the adventure. He was blind to the selfishness of his actions, and eager to prove his worth to the NetPolice's eyes, once and for all.

"Like I said, this isn't gonna happen for another day or two." Netto specified, after he'd spared a smile for his Navi. "I'm pretty sure we'll spend the wait training like crazy. They want to see if the Dimensional Area will work properly so deeply inside a cavern, so I dunno if we'll have time to drop by again before it gets real."

Dingo's mind wandered away for a moment, remembering the debate he had accidentally heard on TV a few days before. Commissioner Kifune had chosen to ignore the critics, and was sending his NetSaviors out to rescue their kidnapped teammate.

He wondered if that decision had any rationale behind it, or if the Commissioner had only listened to his wounded pride. In any case, it gave Dingo even more reason to be part of the mission.

"So … I should probably head out now." Netto warned, tearing his friends away from his thoughts. "I'll let you know when it's go-time for us. It'll probably be in the middle of the night, though … So don't hesitate to take a ton of naps."

Dingo winced at the thought. If the mission started in the night, his own escape would have to happen in the late afternoon at most. He could probably slip out during visiting hours, and blend with the crowd.

As if on cue, someone knocked on Dingo's door. It was the stern nurse who was in charge of the pediatric ward, where Dingo had been placed - much to his great displeasure.

"Time for your daily exercises, young man." The nurse announced, with a glance at Netto, and the lunch boxes in both of the boys' hands. Outside food was highly frowned upon by the hospital staff, but the harm had already been done.

"Leave your box on the table, and pray that you don't get sick in the next few hours." She told Dingo, without departing from her serious expression. The kid had managed to grow on her, however stubborn and undisciplined he could be. She had rarely seen a child his age so determined to get better, and his recovery progressed at an admirable pace.

Netto sighed in relief. He had been certain that the nurse would chew him out for bringing food again, when he had done a great job at hiding the delivery box inside a bag. The strong scent of spices had almost blown his cover, but Netto had hurried away before the clerk could ask any questions.

"I was about to leave, so I don't mind." Netto announced. He gathered his belongings, and remembered that he would have to drop the delivery box at Maha's before he left. Perhaps he would let the shop's tenant know about Dingo's possible plans of escape …

"See you around, Dingo. And … stay safe." He gave his friend a long, meaningful glance. "And get well soon !"

Netto had a polite nod for the nurse, and waltzed out of the hospital bedroom. She reminded him of an angry math teacher, a teacher whose bad side you never wanted to end up on.

The nurse nodded in return, her eyes scanning Netto behind her rectangle glasses. She wondered if she should be worried about the boy's choice of words, and chose to ignore it for now. She could always preemptively lock up Dingo in his bedroom, if she had too many suspicions.

Dingo felt the nurse's X ray-like glare settle down on him after Netto was gone. He let himself slide off his bed, his stance a little hesitant, but his expression showed only focus. He had made great progress in the space of a few days, and while his muscles were still weak, his determination made up for his body's lack of strength.

He ate like three normal boys his age, which was quite the amount, considering the average size of a teenage boy's diet. The doctor had prescribed him a long month of rest before he could think about doing physical activities again, but Dingo didn't intend to wait that long.

He followed the nurse down the corridor, making a point to never reach for the railing that ran along the walls on each side. Dingo had let go of them two days prior already, and didn't intend to use them ever again. He could walk by himself, and he was even certain that he could even run, if only the nurse would let him try.

The nurse led him into the training room, where a few other children were already practicing. Most of them were a lot worse off than Dingo was, and the latter hadn't really tried to bond with anyone else. He intended for his stay to be as short as possible, and he had no time for idle chit-chat.

He didn't need to wait for advice or commands. Dingo went straight for a box that contained weights, made his pick, and sat down on the nearest chair with a weight in each hand. His legs had quickly recovered their strength, their soreness only due to his lack of exercise, but his arms would require more efforts.

The wounds in his chest hurt with each movement, a sting of pain shooting through his body each time he gave a too sharp tug on his skin. He could hardly lift up his arms to the sides of his head without a wince, or without biting into his lips to stop himself from yelling.

The nurse sighed, knowing very well that giving her patient some instructions was perfectly useless. Dingo had his own plans in mind, and the nurse had to recognize that his progress was amazing. His exercises weren't too far off from what the doctors recommended, and while she was supposed to take an active part in his training, she had long decided to simply sit a few chairs away, and take notes on the progress he was making.

Dingo was working even harder than before. He repeated the same movement fifteen, twenty, thirty times, the left arm first, then the right, until his arms visibly trembled. Droplets of sweat soon came rolling down his face, his breath hitching, his eyebrows furrowed into a frown of deep focus. He was in pain, but he refused to back down.

The nurse had to put an end to this self-inflicted torture. She set down her notepad and walked to Dingo, her hand firmly reaching for the weight in his hand.

"That's enough for today. You'll only end up with tendinitis if you keep this up." The nurse warned, as she pried the weight away from Dingo's hands.

"… What's tendi … something ?" Dingo wheezed, taking the threat rather seriously.

"It's a muscle ache you get from repeating the same movement too many times. The only cure to it is absolute rest. That is not what you want, am I right ?"

Dingo shook his head, conceding defeat for this time. He wanted his arms to regain as much strength as possible, in case he needed to wield CF Tomahawkman's axe during the mission. For now, he doubted that he could even fight with his tomahawk.

The nurse led Dingo back to his room, and walked a little closer to him. She saw Dingo stare sideways, the longing look in his eyes fading the moment he caught her staring. He couldn't be giving up now, when the deadline was approaching so fast.

"I'll come to change your bandages before dinner." The nurse announced, once she had made sure that Dingo had safely returned to his bed. "Take some rest in the meantime."

Dingo gave a slight nod, his mind already elsewhere. He felt as exhausted as if he had run a marathon. The weakness of his body filled him with endless frustration, but he was too tired to even throw something across his room to vent out.

"You'll never be ready in time, if you keep pushing yourself so much." Tomahawkman scolded, his hologram popping up in front of Dingo. "Remember what Netto said ? Take it easy for now. You'll need all the energy you can get, if we're gonna leave tomorrow night …"

"I know what he said." Dingo grumbled. "But what's the point of going if I'm gonna be useless ?"

"I think that was his point, too, and everyone else's …" Tomahawkman sighed. As much as he admired Dingo's courage, he was also frustrated to no ends by the boy's stubbornness. "But you said you wanted to go anyway, right ? And I want to be there for Laika and Searchman, too. So don't go destroying your body right when you're gonna need it."

"… I know what I'm doing." Dingo mumbled, his voice even softer. Now wasn't the time to start having any doubts. If he wanted his crazy plan to work, he needed all the energy he could get.

"So no crazy weight lifting stunts tomorrow, alright ? Tomorrow, you sleep, read and play video games." Tomahawkman insisted. "Tomorrow's the day I beat you at Street Fighter."

"You wish." Dingo chuckled, his mood slightly lifted by his Navi's words. Tomahawkman wasn't encouraging him openly, but Dingo knew the way his Navi's mind worked. Giving Dingo a good challenge was the best way to keep him motivated.

"Don't forget that I don't need to sleep as much as you do. I've been practicing real hard." Tomahawkman boasted, puffing out his chest. "You're gonna bite the dust tomorrow !"

"Hey, that's cheating !" Dingo protested, taking the threat very seriously. "I'll just prove to you that raw skill's worth more than a thousand hours of practice !"

"We'll see about that !" Tomahawkman retorted, a broad grin tugging at his lips. He had already won one battle - he had made Dingo think about something else than the rescue mission.

The next day would be crucial. The fact that Dingo had put so much energy into actually planning something proved how serious he was. He would be putting an insane amount of faith in his body's strength, and he knew that if a single thing went wrong, the entire plan would collapse. Still, Dingo didn't lose faith. He had to be there, and prove that he was capable of great things, even after he had suffered such a severe defeat in the warehouse. He also had to give the enemy the beating they deserved.

And above all, he had to be there when Laika was rescued. If he stopped fighting to protect his friends, what was the point of being alive at all ?


	14. Chapter 14

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A last little glimpse at Andou's point of view, before the rescue mission finally starts.  
> Action resumes next chapter. Time to break out !

Andou grew more nervous as each day passed. She had explored about everything she wanted to try with her experiments, and she wasn't blind to the NetPolice's progress. She monitored their activity from up close, using her tracker systems and infiltrated normal Navis as spies, but even her developed hacking skills couldn't put a dent in the NetPolice's activities. Her precautions had bought her as much time as possible, but she was reluctant to reach the end of her experiments.

Andou never parted from her notepad, and transcribed each of its pages into digital files. Said files were locked away in a highly secure hard drive, and she was ready to transmit them to an external server as well, should the NetPolice barge in and destroy everything inside her facility. She only refrained from sending the data now, because a data signal coming from deep into the mountains wouldn't go unnoticed.

The scientist was prepared to leave everything behind, aside from her precious experiment results, and her supply of liquid Dark Aura, which she kept stored in a bag.

There wasn't much more to get from her test subject, whose health was dropping visibly. She hadn't pushed him to the 20 Dark Chip threshold again, by fear that he would wreck her entire lab before the NetPolice could even find it.

Andou spent most of her time putting the finishing touches to her escape plan. At the very end of the corridor, a staircase led to an even deeper tunnel, which emerged in the hollow trunk of a long-dead tree, in the middle of the nearby forest. Even if the NetPolice had circled the facility, they wouldn't be able to catch her there.

She hadn't told any of her men about this tunnel, thinking that having them all focus on the cave's main entrance would maximize her chances of escape. She also had a handgun, acquired from a henchman, and a pocket knife on her person at all times. She kept her notebook tucked in her lab coat's inside pocket.

The way she had hidden her appearance with makeup, contacts and a wig should keep her test subject from revealing her identity - but with all the damage the Dark Aura had inflicted onto his mind, he might not even remember her face at all.

Once she was out, she would finally transmit all the data to Lord Shademan. The Darkloid would be proud of her efforts, and even prouder of the results she had obtained through her hard work.

In the ideal scenario, she would then quietly return to her side job as a lab assistant, and obtain her thesis in neurology with flying colors. She would keep producing the liquefied Dark Aura in even greater quantities, until Shademan let her know that it was time to put their real plans in motion.

She would go to the military first. They couldn't possibly turn down a serum that made soldiers stronger, and with the right doses, even more obedient to whoever fueled them with this source of energy. Shademan would do the scouting, and find the higher-ups just corrupt enough to see the advantage in such a product.

She would hijack the usual course of things, and go over all the idiots from her university. The military wouldn't ask questions, and wouldn't care about something as trivial as ethics, or the way she had obtained all these results. Of course, she wouldn't let them know that she had obtained them from a very member of another country's military forces …

A sly smile tugged at Andou's lips. Yes, she couldn't wait to finally be recognized for the genius she really was. She didn't care if her work only spread more violence around the world. At that point, anything was worth trying, if it could bring some change to this repulsive world. She would be the one to light the flame that started the fire. If the military wasn't enough, or if she had to go into hiding, she would spread her serum through illegal ways, much like DarkChips were dealt in the depths of the Undernet.

There would always be junkies foolish enough to try it out, lunatics crazy enough to trade their humanity against raw power. If she couldn't make her way straight to the top, then she would find a path there starting from the bottom.

The sun had to be setting outside, but Andou wouldn't know. She hadn't stepped out in the fresh air ever since this experiment had started, and hadn't felt the need to. Her henchmen brought her what supplies she might need, and she was used to not seeing the light of day for entire weeks.

Andou decided to pay her test subject a little visit, since it might as well be the last one. The NetPolice would put their plans into motion soon, and she didn't want to be caught by surprise.

The scientist set down her empty coffee cup, and made her way to the holding cell. She opened the door without fear, knowing that she would find Laika in the same state he'd been ever since his breakdown - weakened to the point of apathy.

Indeed, the soldier was lying on his bed, his eyes open but devoid of any light. He floated in his torn clothes, and a bandage was still wrapped around his lower leg. The bullet wound that Andou had inflicted him wasn't healing properly, even if her subordinate had sewn it up and disinfected it thoroughly. That was how weak the soldier's immune system had become.

Andou wondered if Laika wasn't trying to starve himself to death. He left most of his meals untouched, perhaps because he didn't have the energy to eat anymore. If he didn't already look on the brink of starvation, Andou would suspect him of trying to become so thin that his hand could slip through the cuff around his wrist.

"Down in the dumps, aren't you ?" Andou called, as she sat down in the room's only chair. "Why the gloomy look ? If you survive until tomorrow, you might actually get to see the sun again."

Laika twitched slightly, as if he was only vaguely aware of Andou's presence. He reacted to the sound of her voice, but he could hardly make out the sense in her words.

"I really did a number on you … I'll have to be patient. Wait until everyone's forgotten about this." Andou gestured in Laika's general direction. "But that's alright. I mean, I'm not a cold-blooded murderer ! I won't put you out of your misery just because I've obtained all the information I really want. Who knows, you might actually prove to be useful again, sometime around …"

She wondered if the soldier would ever make a full recovery from this. Not that she would feel bad if he didn't, but a part of her made a mental note to check on him from time to time. A great scientist knew that a good experiment didn't stop at merely trying things out on a test subject. Observation was the most important part, and that included monitoring the aftermath of the actual experiment.

"Of course, there's also the chance that the NetPolice will come late, and you won't even get to survive until they do. That'd be a shame." Andou sighed. She was almost tempted to send some kind of signal, but she had already done that by letting her men burn down the ambulance. She'd known that sooner or later, the carcass would be discovered, but her plans had once again worked out exactly like she'd intended to.

"I won't … die." A croaking voice tore Andou away from her contemplations. She looked in Laika's direction, an eyebrow quirked in surprise.

"Oh, really ? You still have some fighting spirit left in you ? That's admirable !" She was genuinely impressed. "Lord Shademan won't forget everything you've done, you know. Who knows, maybe we'll reach out to you first, when we can finally reveal ourselves to the world …"

Laika didn't try to understand every word that came out of Andou's mouth. The world was a fuzzy mess around him, his sense hardly able to pick up any signals anymore. He couldn't stop the decay of his own body, and it terrified him. He could feel Death breathing down his neck, waiting for him to lower his guard.

But Laika couldn't give up. He wasn't thinking of taking the enemy down, nor was he thinking of being rescued. He clung to his friends' faces, to their voices playing in his head. He saw Pride's smile, he heard Morosov bark. He thought of Netto, his foolishness, his endless energy. He thought of Dingo, who had to be alive and kicking, ready to give him the scolding of his life for trying to kill him.

Laika managed a very faint smile. He had to survive, if only to let Dingo rightfully chew him out. He owed the boy at least that.

Andou stared at her test subject for a moment, trying to make sense of his odd expression. The soldier looked so tired that crying might actually take his life, yet she could see the hints of a smile tugging at his lips. Was his entire life playing before his eyes ?

"Anyways … I'll leave you to your thoughts." Andou stood up, and only looked back when she reached the door. "Hang in there, if you think it's worth it. We've all got to find our place in this crazy world … Actually, and thanks to you, I'm not going to just find mine. I'm going to _make_ it with my own two hands."

She slammed the door behind her, but didn't bother locking it. She might as well make the NetPolice's job just a little easier, if she wanted to give her wreck of a test subject the slimmest chance of survival.

Andou walked to the labs, determined to put some order in her belongings before she abandoned them. She had already put away the remaining packs of liquid Dark Aura, not wanting any of it to fall in the hands of the NetPolice, or worse - in the Ministry of Science's hands. They might already find traces of it left in Laika's blood, and she didn't want to risk the chance of anyone stealing her breakthroughs. She could simply sit back, and wait until her guards alerted her.

The final countdown had started.


	15. Chapter 15

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ♪ I'm breaking out of here tonight ♪  
> Dingo can be really sneaky when he's trying hard. Remember Stream episode 33 ?  
> The rescue mission is almost underway. Hang in there, Laika !

The day had finally come. For once in his life, Dingo had followed the advice he was given, and taken some intensive rest throughout the day. He took as many naps as he could, and didn't move from his bed even if he was awake. Video games and comic books could hardly keep his mind off his plans, but Dingo's determination was stronger than his lack of patience.

When the sun started to approach the horizon, Dingo knew that it was time to move. For the first time since he had arrived in this bedroom, he slipped into his boots, and tightened their straps around his feet. That simple gesture was all he needed to feel pumped up.

He was dressed in his usual shorts and sweater, the latter slipped above the bandages that were still wrapped around his chest. Moving his arms hurt a lot less than before, but the simple motions of putting his sweater on still made him wince.

Dingo wouldn't need much gear on this mission. He had retrieved the long piece of rope he used as a belt, his tomahawk was hidden behind his back, and his PET was safely shoved in his sweater's pocket. He planned to drop by his place to grab some BattleChips, if he had any time left.

And first of all, he had to break out of his hospital room.

Dingo had spent the past few days preparing his escape route. During his trips to the training room, he had located the nearest flights of stairs, and the gates that led to the emergency exits. These doors were locked, and would only open if the fire alarm was triggered. Dingo would have loved an explosive exit, but he couldn't put all the patients in danger, as Tomahawkman had so wisely reminded him.

Since triggering the alarm was out of the question, Dingo had settled for a quieter escape plan.

Dingo was aware that the little name tag he wore around his wrist was also equipped with a microchip, that served to monitor his vitals at all times, and also track his whereabouts. The stern nurse had kindly informed him of these details the very previous night, as if she had been suspecting something.

It meant that Dingo couldn't walk out through the lobby's front door, without triggering yet another alarm. Removing the tag was also not an option, as it would rip through the microscopic circuits that coursed through the tag. If Dingo tried to remove it while the chip was still active, the nurses would immediately be informed of it.

The only possible route was upstairs.

Dingo was almost surprised to find his bedroom door unlocked. The last nurse to come check on him wasn't the laser-eyed woman, so Dingo thought safe to assume that she wasn't on duty that night. This all played straight into Dingo's hands.

Visiting hours weren't over yet, and it wasn't quite time for dinner already. This meant that the people roaming the corridors were mostly outsiders, who were highly unlikely to recognize him. His name tag was safely hidden under his sweater's sleeves, and Dingo had even wrapped a piece of bandage around it, for good measure.

Dingo made his way to the nearest flight of stairs, and started climbing up. The hospital building wasn't extremely tall, most of the medical facilities buried underground, with only the patients' rooms on the upper floors. The door leading to the rooftop was locked, but Dingo had been expecting such an obstacle.

Trying to bust through any floor’s emergency door meant risking to get caught by a curious passer-by. No one hardly climbed that far up in the staircase, so Dingo had better chances of going unnoticed if he tried to break out through there.

Tomahawkman's hologram appeared above Dingo's shoulder, looking up expectantly at his operator.

Before the Navi could even speak, Dingo was already on the move. He reached behind his back, and Tomahawkman immediately knew that this was bad news.

"You're not actually gonna-"

The Navi was cut off when Dingo stepped back, and swung his arm with all his strength. What Dingo didn't realize was that he hadn't regained all his skill, and his weakened muscles didn't respond to his brain's command. His aim was off by a few centimeters, and the blade collided with the wall, rather than sinking into the command panel. It fell to the ground with more loud noises, and Tomahawkman had to resist the urge to yell on top of it.

"You happy ?" Tomahawkman only commented, wondering why he had let himself get his hopes so high. "You'd better plug me in now, and pray that nobody's heard your ruckus."

Dingo went to pick up his precious weapon, and shot his Navi an angry glare. He had given in to his usual instincts, and in retrospect, he knew that it had been a stupid move. He couldn't afford to fail here.

Conceding defeat for now, Dingo pointed his PET at the door's interface, and hoped that the door's system didn't have an anti-intruder alarm.

"It's all good." Tomahawkman informed his operator, once he had materialized inside the server. He walked to the door's mainframe, which sat in the middle of the small server.

"Make sure you don't trigger the alarm." Dingo insisted, feeling unusually nervous. He shot a glance down the stairs, but he couldn't see anyone coming his way, nor could he hear any steps hurrying in his direction.

"Don't worry. I know what I'm doing !" Tomahawkman replied, a confident smile on his lips. He appreciated Dingo's efforts to actually use his Navi's skills, instead of throwing his tomahawk at the door's interface.

Of course, Tomahawkman's own technique would usually be to wreck the door's system from the inside, and force it to stay open. There was another step he had to complete first, if he didn't want the entire hospital to know about their plans.

Tomahawkman brought up the console's holographic screen, and easily made his way into the system. The security system protecting this door was extremely basic, and Tomahawkman knew exactly how to proceed. Now that his program had the NetSavior status, he had been given a special key that could shut down the simplest security systems.

Tomahawkman entered his key into the door's mainframe, and the door was disconnected from the hospital's security system. Someone who actively monitored the hospital's network might notice a slight glitch, but Dingo should have time to escape by then.

This was only half the work done. A bright smile tugged at Tomahawkman's lips, and he raised his axe high above his head.

"Get ready, Dingo !" Tomahawkman warned, as he brought down his axe in a great swing. The console stood no chance, and was blown to smithereens in a single attack.

The door unlocked before Dingo's eyes. He plugged his Navi out without further ado, and hurried onto the roof.

The wind was strong on top of the building, and Dingo wished he could pause to take a deep breath of fresh air. The sky was already taking orange hues, a beautiful sight that Dingo couldn’t stop to admire. The clock was still ticking.

Dingo approached the top of the emergency staircase, which went down in a spiral along the side of the building. He would have to pray that nobody stared outside the door on each floor, as he hurried down at full speed.

Dingo nearly stumbled down several times, jumping down the steps two at a time, until his lungs could no longer keep up with the amount of oxygen his muscles needed. He paused to take a breath between two volleys of steps, not realizing that someone might see him.

When Dingo finally wanted to head down again, he spotted a dark silhouette standing behind the glass. He didn't try to figure out if it was a random visitor, or a member of the medical staff. Dingo threw a glance over the staircase's railing, and saw that he was only two or three floors away from the ground.

Without thinking, Dingo reached for his tomahawk, and untied the long piece of rope from his belt. In a matter of seconds, he had tied his tomahawk to the end of the rope, and lodged the weapon between two rows of railing.

He slung himself over the railing as well, and slid down the rope at full speed, not caring if he earned nasty blisters on his palms. With a calculated tug on the rope, his tomahawk came free, and very nearly crashed onto his head.

Dingo managed to catch the tomahawk before it hit the ground, and bolted away with the rope hastily wrapped around his waist again. He ran around the building, and made a beeline past the main entrance, not even throwing a glance behind his back. He chose to take the risk of keeping his nametag on for now, hoping that no one was already looking for him.

"We made it !" Tomahawkman cheered, unable to hide his slight disbelief. "Next stop, the NetPolice station. This'll be easier for sure."

"Yeah … I hope." Dingo couldn't confess to being worried, but his blind confidence was slowly returning already. His emergency escape had saved him some energy, but he still couldn't just walk quietly to his destination.

Dingo picked up his pace, and realized that he hardly knew the way to the NetPolice's headquarters. He reached for his tomahawk again, and saw his Navi open his mouth to protest.

"We don't have time for this, Dingo !" Tomahawkman yelled. "I know the right way. You have to go-"

"Left !" Dingo cried out. He hadn't listened to a word his Navi said, and pointed to the direction that his tomahawk was indicating.

"… Yeah. Left." Tomahawkman repeated, amazed to finally see the tomahawk direct his operator towards the correct direction. Perhaps luck was really on their side, for once …

Dingo reached the headquarters in a record time. His path had included climbing over a fence, and nearly tumbling down a flight of stairs again, but he was relatively safe and sound at the end of the journey. His lungs were about to explode, but he held on, refusing to let his tired body win over his determination.

"Wait, Dingo. I've got a message from Rockman." Tomahawkman announced, just as Dingo was about to walk in through the "personnel only" door at the back of the building.

"From Rockman ?" Dingo repeated, a little surprised. "What does it say ?"

"It's from Netto, actually. " _Check your locker. Top shelf."._ That's it."

A little smirk tugged at Dingo's lips. "That Netto … And he said he wouldn't help us."

Tomahawkman had the very same smile. "I can't believe Searchman let himself be locked up in a closet, though. He must be really desperate."

"Yeah. Just like us." Dingo pointed out.

He wasted no more time chatting, and used his PET's NetSavior key to make it past the security system. He had half-expected his ID to be refused, but it seemed that the NetPolice hadn't chased him out of their ranks yet. His cause wasn't entirely lost.

The NetPolice headquarters' corridors were unusually empty. Dingo wasn't about to complain, as he supposed that most agents were locked up in the preparation rooms, waiting to be briefed.

Netto might still be within these walls as well. Dingo didn't try to figure it out, and hurried to the locker room. The NetSaviors had their own private closet space, even if they didn't have any uniforms as of now.

"You think he knows that we broke out ?" Dingo whispered, as he made his way to his locker. It wasn't locked, because Dingo didn't keep anything in it yet. The only equipment he needed was his PET, and the NetSavior ID installed into it.

"Maybe …” Tomahawkman replied. “If Rockman's keeping an eye on my PET's GPS signal, then he knows exactly where we are now."

Dingo cursed under his breath. He hadn't thought of making his PET's location invisible. He reached for the small device in his pocket, but before he could change the settings, Dingo heard a few voices get closer.

"Someone's coming !" Tomahawkman hissed. "Hide, quick !"

Dingo didn't have time to think. He flung his locker's door open and jumped inside, his frame just barely fitting inside the closet. He shut the door from the inside, and tried to keep himself from panicking. Dingo wasn't aware of it, but he was quite claustrophobic.

"You will be dispatched in ten minutes." A man's voice announced. "Make sure you have your SynchroChips. You'll probably need them."

The door was hidden behind another row of lockers, and Dingo begged for the intruders to stay away from his hiding spot. He couldn't tell whether his door was properly closed, and his heart's frantic beats were so loud, Dingo worried that others could hear them as well.

"Understood." A second voice replied. It was awfully familiar.

"You don't even have to remind us ! Me and Enzan are always ready !" This time, Dingo immediately recognized Netto's voice, and he now knew who the other voice belonged to.

"Enzan and _I_." Enzan corrected.

"Yeah, right." Netto replied. "That doesn't change my point. I just need to get my BattleChips, and I'll have everything I need."

"Hurry up. Every second is precious to us."

"I know, I know !" Netto's voice was getting closer. Dingo heard another locker door creak open, and nearly jumped when a whispering voice spoke right in front of his locker.

"Searchman's got the coordinates. Get there before midnight." Netto muttered. "Tap on the door twice if you got it."

Dingo slowly moved his hand, and gave two light taps on the locker's door. He hoped that Enzan was still waiting by the door, but Netto surely knew what he was doing.

Netto had to be satisfied with what he'd heard. Dingo heard the boy's locker door slam shut, and his voice boom : "We're leaving !"

"Why do you have to scream it ?" Enzan sighed, his voice getting fainter. Dingo heard the locker room's door slam shut, and knew that he was out of danger.

He nearly fell out of his locker, and remembered to check the top shelf. His arm could hardly reach that high, but he managed to wrap his fingers around a small, rectangular device.

Searchman's PET.

When Dingo dragged the PET out of its hiding spot, another item tumbled down, and fell to Dingo's feet. He picked it up carefully, immediately recognizing the peculiar Chip - a SynchroChip. Dingo pocketed the precious Chip, and finally threw a glance at the deep green device.

"Heard you were looking for a ride." Dingo said, a strained smile tugging at his lips. He took a few deep breaths, still trying to calm his racing heart.

"I am, indeed." Searchman's hologram appeared over the little device. "I am counting on you, Dingo-san."

"Just Dingo's fine …" Dingo winced at the Navi's formal speech. He only now realized how odd this situation was - he had partnered up with Laika before, but teaming up with Searchman alone was on a whole new level of strange. Dingo still smiled confidently, his mind already focused on his next move.

"Don't worry. I got a plan."


	16. Chapter 16

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A short-ish transition chapter, mostly meant to make me go out of my comfort zone. I'm not used to writing anyone else than Dingo and Tomahawkman x)  
> Don't hesitate to let me know how you think I'm doing !

"You seem happy about this mission." Enzan pointed out, not bothering to hide his suspicions. "This is not going to be an easy one. You're aware of that, aren't you ?"

"It's not that I'm happy about it !" Netto protested. He had almost been caught talking in the locker room, and he couldn't let Enzan know why he felt so content with himself. "I'm just … I want it to be over already. And when it's all over, I'm taking you _and_ Laika out for curry. No running away from it, this time."

Enzan sighed. "I highly doubt that Laika will be allowed outside for a long time, let alone for something as trivial as _curry_ …"

"Fine ! Then I'll take the curry to him, and you and Dingo will come visit him with me. We NetSaviors gotta share some time together even when we're not on a mission, right ? They call it, uh … team building !"

Enzan shook his head in disapproval. Deep inside, he appreciated Netto's efforts at raising their morale, but he couldn't quite take his mind off of reality. During the past two weeks, he had immersed himself in the case, wishing that he had been here since the very beginning. If he had been dispatched on this mission as well, things might not have gone down the same way …

Or perhaps they would. Enzan silently scolded himself for having these self-centered thoughts. Even if he had been in either Laika's or Dingo's shoes, the very same events would have still happened. Shademan had taken them by surprise, and Enzan knew better than anyone how cruel the Darkloid could be. A shiver ran down his spine at the mere thought of it.

Netto and Enzan met up with Commissioner Kifune, who was looking over the entire operation. He knew that his entire career was on the line, after the harsh backlash he had faced from his peers, but this wasn't at all the main concern in his mind at the moment.

All that mattered was that Laika was rescued, and the enemy defeated. Kifune was ready to let that second goal slip away from his hands, but he knew that this was their one chance at defeating Shademan and his human minions.

"Is everything in order, sir ?" Enzan asked, tearing the man away from his contemplations.

"I believe so. You will be transported by car, along with our other units. I will have men positioned all around our target, and once that is done, you will be dispatched as well. Hikari-hakase is on standby at the Ministry, ready to send a Dimensional Area on your signal."

Enzan and Netto both nodded, the latter showing an unusual lot of focus. He was determined to accomplish this mission, even if he already knew that Kifune's plans might not go exactly as he was explaining.

"This will ensure that the enemy cannot run away. Once you have CrossFused, you will be able to break into the enemy's facility. We have thoroughly scanned the area, but the thickness of the rock had made it difficult for us to obtain a precise outline of their hideout. I require extreme cautiousness from the both of you during that part of the plan."

Kifune addressed Netto a pointed glance, but the latter didn't protest. He had to summon all his willpower, and keep himself from telling Kifune that he should be glaring at someone else, who wasn't standing in this room …

"What we need to ensure first is that they do not harm Laika-kun, once they realize that they are cornered. One of you will have to focus on locating him, while the other keeps the enemy at bay. Of course, we expect you to call in for reinforcements, if necessary."

"I can go find Laika !" Netto suggested. While he liked a good battle, his main concern was Laika's safety.

"I will take care of the enemy, then." Enzan suggested. He had confidence in his and Blues' battle skills, and would know how to hold back if the enemies were human.

"Very well." Kifune agreed. CF Blues' fighting style had less chances of damaging the environment around him, which greatly reassured the commissioner. He couldn't have the cave crumble while the boys were still inside.

With their instructions in mind, Netto and Enzan were led to the police van that would take them deep into the mountains. They sat each on one side of a row, leaving a free seat between them.

Netto stared outside his window. The sun was almost done setting now, and the sky was colored in bright orange hues. Netto wondered if Laika had even seen the sun at all ever since his capture.

It was Rockman who eventually broke the silence, hoping to raise everyone's morale at least a little.

"I'm glad to finally be on the move. When we go back to the city, Laika will be with us." Rockman assured, his hologram glancing between his operator and Enzan.

"Right !" Netto was quick to catch on his Navi's efforts, and the gloom disappeared from his face. "And I'm sure we'll arrest whoever did this to him, too. And maybe delete Shademan while we're at it !"

"That is, if only Shademan dares to show himself again." Enzan pointed out. He wasn't being a killjoy on purpose, but simply tried to stay realistic. "We still cannot tell whether he was personally in charge of Laika's capture, or whether he was just preparing the terrain for his human minions."

"But he won't like us trying to get Laika back, right ?" Netto retorted. "And we're going to destroy his hideout too ! He won't let us get away with it so easily."

"Haven't you wondered why the NetPolice suddenly made progress in their search ?” Enzan questioned. “They could not find a single lead for over a week, until they found the burnt van. While this might also have been luck finally changing sides, I still find it suspicious. Shademan has fooled us once, and he could very well be playing us again."

Netto remained silent for a moment, unable to come up with a good retort.

"So you're saying … maybe they wanted us to find them." He realized, the thought filling him with dread. "But why ? Does that mean they've already done everything they wanted ? What about Laika, then ?"

"That is what I believe." Enzan confessed. He wanted nothing more than to believe in Laika's safety, but the chances seemed very slim to him. He made an effort to twist his thoughts into a positive outlook, if only not to completely break Netto's spirit. "As for Laika … If they have really achieved everything they wanted, there is a chance that they will let us take him back without a struggle."

"But in what state …" Netto could hear Enzan's unspoken concerns. A heavy silence settled in the car again, Netto's eyes drifting off to the window again.

He hoped, so dearly hoped that they wouldn't come too late. Even if Enzan's suspicions were true, it didn't mean that the enemy had disposed of Laika. Netto refused to even consider the worst possibility. He had to keep his faith in Laika's resilience, in the soldier's sheer will to survive.

Laika wouldn't let anyone kill him so easily.


	17. Chapter 17

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is a bit on the long side, and probably has 75% of the plot holes in this entire fic x)
> 
> If you thought that Dingo and Laika made an odd duo, I raise you ... Dingo and Searchman :')

The sun was getting uncomfortably close to the horizon. Dingo knew that his time was running out, but he never lost hope. All he had left to do was find a way of reaching the coordinates that Searchman had registered in his PET, and for once in his life, Dingo was really to make a compromise.

"You're not gonna throw your tomahawk all the way there, are you ?" Tomahawkman accused, once Dingo was at a safe distance from the NetPolice station.

"Nah. I won't get there on time if I go on foot." Dingo admitted. He had to convince himself that he wasn't betraying his instincts, and that this was all for a good cause. "Imma need a vehicle."

"A vehicle ?" Tomahawkman repeated. He paused for a moment, and realized that he hadn't seen Dingo take out his PET at all. He already knew where he was going, and if there was one path he knew by heart, it was the path back home …

"Yeah. I'm sure Maha'll understand." Dingo didn't need to explain his thoughts any further.

"You're gonna take Maha's van ?!" There were so many problems with this plan that Tomahawkman didn't know where to start. He had to select only one question, his hand reaching for his temples, as if to massage a headache away. "Who's gonna drive ?"

Dingo's gaze fell to his other shoulder. "You think you could handle that, Searchman ?"

Searchman nodded. "Yes. While I do not usually operate civilian vehicles, I have received the appropriate training."

Tomahawkman wasn't entirely reassured, but he had no better suggestion to make.

"Perfect. I'll leave that up to you, then." Dingo nodded. "It's a pretty old thing, so its commands can't be too complicated. And you'll have to jump-start the engine too, but again, not a big deal."

Dingo quickened his pace, eager to get the next part of his plan done with. He couldn't risk meeting Maha inside the restaurant, so "borrowing" the keys was out of the question. Luckily, the van was parked underground just a few streets away, and Maha had no reason to be using it at this time of the day.

A small problem stood between himself and the van : the underground parking lot was private, and Dingo's PET didn't have the credentials to open the gate to the staircase. He tried using the NetPolice’s all-access code, but the system remained blind to his pleas.

"What do we do now ?" Tomahawkman asked, his tone almost accusing. He eyed Searchman's hologram on Dingo's other shoulder, half-expecting the other Navi to have an idea already.

"Please plug me in, then connect your PET to the system. I will overwrite the lock, and force the system to accept your PET's signal." Searchman explained, when he caught Dingo looking at him expectantly. Tomahawkman's glares went unnoticed.

Dingo did as he was told, showing an unusual lot of obedience. He had let a large part of his plans up to Searchman's alleged abilities, and while Tomahawkman could surely have found his own way around the door's lock, Searchman's methods were bound to be faster. Dingo hated to let his Navi down like this, but his determination was even greater than his pride in his Tomahawkman’s abilities.

The door's control panel gave a happy beep, and Dingo was able to pull the heavy door open. He hurried down the staircase, trying not to think about the tons of earth and concrete that now stood above his head.

The van was parked in its usual spot, to Dingo's great relief. He threw an eye at the security cameras around him, and whispered to Searchman : "Are any of those things pointed at us right now ?"

Searchman's hologram disappeared for a few seconds, which was all the time it took the Navi to analyze the parking's lot entire system.

"Negative." The Navi responded, his hologram returning to its previous spot. "I will make sure to temporarily deactivate every camera as we pass it by."

Still perched on Dingo's other shoulder, Tomahawkman couldn't help but scoff. Dingo had been quick to forget about his own Navi. Just because Searchman's abilities were more suited to these tasks, didn't mean that Dingo had to ignore him completely !

Dingo glared at his Navi, the latter's huff not falling into deaf ears. "We gotta do things fast, alright ? I'll call you when I want something destroyed."

"I can do more than destroy things !" Tomahawkman protested. "Besides, that's usually _your_ job, not mine. Remember the door at the hospital ?"

"We got out, and it doesn't matter how !" Dingo retorted, but he quickly remembered where he was. "… Just keep your voice down, alright ? We can't get caught now."

Dingo had a lot of skills that he couldn't usually take pride in, but for once, he felt glad that he knew how to pick locks. He produced a few torn paperclips from the depths of his pockets, and worked his magic on the van's rusty doors.

"Alright … where's the plug on that thing ?" Dingo muttered to himself, once he had made it into the driver's seat. The pedals were comically far from his feet, and he had to glance high above the wheel to finally find the van's plug-in system. It was an old-fashioned, cable plug, but Maha kept an adaptor in the glove box. Dingo connected Searchman's PET to the vehicle, and set the device down on his lap.

"Did you make it to the engine ?" Dingo questioned, glancing at the van's dashboard. "Nothing's happening on here."

"You just plugged him in, Dingo." Tomahawkman pointed out, trying to make sure that he wasn't left out again. "Give him some time to familiarize himself with the-"

He was cut off by the sound of the engine revving, and starting without a hitch.

"Engine." Tomahawkman finished, wondering why he had even tried to doubt Searchman's skills.

"We are all set, Dingo-san." Searchman announced, his hologram appearing on Dingo's shoulder again. He caught himself using the formal particle again, and gave a little bow. "Excuse me … Dingo."

"It's fine." Dingo shook his head. He would excuse Searchman for the slip-up, with the great work the Navi had just done. "Let's get rolling. Can you navigate the GPS and drive at the same time ? Or d'you need Tomahawkman's help ?"

Tomahawkman perked up at the sound of his name, but he was immediately disappointed.

"That would not be optimal. I will operate more efficiently if I handle the commands while also navigating the map." Searchman replied, without meaning to offend Tomahawkman. "Please attach your seatbelt. I apologize in advance for the stiffness of my driving, as I will need a few seconds to adapt to this vehicle's commands."

Tomahawkman huffed again, quite frustrated to miss this chance at finally making Dingo use a map.

The van slowly pulled out of its spot, Searchman's driving style proving to be rather seamless. The vehicle moved until it reached the exit, and Dingo had to unfasten his seat belt so he could slip out of the window, and slam his PET over the barrier's system. If Searchman's earlier hacking had worked, then the gate ought to open.

The same cheerful beeping came from the console, and the barrier opened up. Dingo quickly slipped back inside the van, and remembered to fasten his seatbelt again. He winced a little when the van revved, and suddenly rose up the slope that led to the street, gluing Dingo to his seat for a few seconds.

"My apologies." Searchman said, as the van pulled safely into the street.

"No big deal." Dingo replied, a smile tugging at his lips. He had loved the sensation of speed, however short it had been. The old van had more under its hood than it let on.

"According to the GPS, our estimated time of arrival is an hour and twenty minutes from now."

"That much ?" Dingo questioned, a little worried. If Netto and the NetPolice had left right after their little meetup in the locker room, then they were probably halfway to the scene already. Dingo had to get there before they got on the move - if they required a Dimensional Area, breaking into it would require a whole new array of creative plans.

"I have been programmed to strictly follow the regulations." Searchman indicated. He paused for a few seconds, his voice a little lower when he spoke again : "However, and only because this is an emergency, I can allow myself to go ten kilometers above the speed limit."

"Yeah. Do that. Don't worry, I won't tell the police." Dingo nodded, unable to help a little smirk. Searchman made it sound like he deserved to go to jail for his crimes.

If Searchman appreciated Dingo's humor, he didn't let it show. Instead, he made the van accelerate ever so slightly, and Dingo soon felt his eyelids start to droop.

"I think I'll take a nap." He announced, already feeling his limbs go numb. Dingo had always been able to fall asleep in about any situation, but road trips were especially quick to make his consciousness slip away. There was something about the low rumble of the engine, and the swaying of the car, that made him feel like was being cradled to sleep.

"If a police car really does drive past us, we're dead." Tomahawkman commented. He saw his operator frown, his eyes already shut close.

"Don't jinx us." Dingo grumbled. His head slowly tilted to the side, then downwards, his chin coming to hit the top of his chest. In a matter of minutes, he was already fast asleep.

"I really envy him sometimes …" Tomahawkman sighed. While he rarely needed to go into full sleep mode, and could activate it on the simple press of a switch, he still wondered how human sleep felt like. Nightmares didn't sound like fun, but good dreams had to make up for them.

The car pulled away into the darkness. The sun had long disappeared below the horizon, and Tomahawkman couldn't shake off a feeling of uneasiness. He saw Searchman adjust the van's front lights, a brighter flash illuminating the road once they were out of the city's outskirts.

He had taken a few seconds to study their destination, and wondered just how deep into the mountains they'd have to travel. The van was sturdy, but it was an old thing, and certainly wasn't equipped for long treks up dangerous slopes. There was no risk of snow at this time of the year, but Tomahawkman still hoped that Searchman really knew what he was doing.

A short hour passed, without the Navis exchanging a word, or Dingo moving at all. Tomahawkman didn't dare disturb Searchman in his driving, but he kept a close eye on the map.

"If we come too close, we'll get caught." He realized, and decided that this was a thought worth sharing with Searchman. Tomahawkman opened a communication screen, as he was unable to directly jump into the car's server.

"Maybe we should park the van somewhere around here, and Dingo'll climb up the rest of the road." Tomahawkman suggested. "If they see us coming, maybe they'll think we're reinforcements for the enemy. They'll shoot us on sight first, and ask questions second …"

Searchman threw a glance at the map, and made a quick calculation. "We are still one and a half kilometer away from our destination, going in a straight line. Can Dingo-san walk this distance through the woods, in complete darkness ?"

"I'm sure he can." Tomahawkman replied, a confident smile tugging at his lips. "He used to live in this kinda place. I'm sure he's not afraid of walking out there, even in the night."

"Very well." Searchman agreed. He slowed the van down, and pulled away to the side, parking the van in a slightly uphill spot. He made sure to use the handbrake, and only stopped the van once he was sure that it wouldn't tumble away. He switched off the front lights, plunging the van and its surroundings into the darkness.

The sudden lack of movement made Dingo stir, but it would take more than this to properly wake him up. A mischievous smirk spread across Tomahawkman's face.

It was finally his time to shine.

Tomahawkman's hologram appeared above Dingo's shoulder, the Navi wearing a cheeky smirk. He knew the exact way to make Dingo wake up. All it would take were the first notes of a certain song, with the PET's sound setting pushed to the very maximum.

“SomeBODY ONCE-“

Dingo let out a gasp, and was nearly choked by his seatbelt when he straightened up, his head swinging just inches from the wheel. Tomahawkman was afraid that he might honk the van's horn by accident, but fortunately, the seatbelt stopped Dingo from putting all their plans into jeopardy.

"What is wrong with you ?!" Dingo protested, looking very lost. It took him a moment to recall where he was, and why he was here. His confused frown slowly turned into a focused expression, and he reached down for Searchman's PET.

"Are we there yet ?” He asked, a frown lingering on his traits. “I can't see a thing out there."

"We have almost arrived. However, as Tomahawkman very astutely pointed out, it is better if you walk the rest of the way."

"Right … So we don't get caught driving right into the NetPolice's turf." Dingo realized, with a little nod. "Good thinking, Tomahawkman."

"Exactly." Tomahawkman replied, puffing out his chest at the compliment. "Searchman asked if you could walk all the distance, even if we're in the middle of the forest, and it's night time."

"Of course I can !" Dingo protested, offended that someone would even question his courage. "I'll fight a bear if I have to. That'll warm me up for the next battle."

Tomahawkman couldn't help laughing. He was glad to hear his operator in such high spirits.

"Right, right." The Navi conceded. "I just don't think they'll wait 'til you're done fighting all the bears in this forest …"

"Alright. I'll fight the bears some other time." Dingo replied, with a knowing smile for his Navi.

Searchman was a little puzzled by the duo's conversation. He wasn't sure how fighting a bear would improve their chances of rescuing his operator, but he assumed that this was Dingo and Tomahawkman's way of boosting their own morale.

Dingo plugged Searchman out of the van's system, unfastened his seatbelt, and slipped outside. Truth be told, he wasn't entirely reassured at the thought of walking through wild territories. He had grown up in the wild, but he knew better than to step onto unknown territory without being careful.

If he did run into an inhabitant of these woods, Dingo would have no other choice but to run away - as much as the thought of it pained him. He carried Searchman's hopes onto his shoulders now as well, and he couldn't let the Navi down, after all the help the latter had provided.

Dingo couldn't afford to fail - not when they were all so close to their goal.


	18. Chapter 18

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The rescue gang reunites ... much to Enzan's great displeasure x)  
> But they'll have to cooperate, if they want a better chance at saving Laika \o/

Netto grew more and more anxious with each minute that passed. Enzan's words were still playing in his head, his confidence in the NetPolice's plans fading away fast. He wasn't too worried that the enemy might be waiting for them.

Netto was certain that he and Enzan (and most likely Dingo as well) could beat any army of heel Navis, or even Shademan himself. Their enemy wouldn't have the element of surprise, this time.

His real concern was that the enemy might know of the NetPolice's plans, and had already vacated their hideout. Netto wanted to catch the people who had captured Laika, and make them pay for what they had done. He wanted justice for his friend.

And above all, he dearly hoped that Laika was still alive.

The NetPolice's van eventually strayed from the main road, and headed deeper into the woods. The driver was extremely cautious, and the last few minutes of travelling were the most excruciating. When the van finally came to a stop, Netto eagerly waited for an agent to come and open the door.

As soon as he was free to go, Netto jumped outside, and stretched his arms above his head. This had been a long and tedious road trip, and he couldn't wait to evacuate all that stress.

"You two know what you have to do, right ?" The agent questioned, once Netto and Enzan had regrouped in front of the van's lights.

"Yeah. We just have to follow the GPS coordinates, and make sure the enemy hasn't set up a trap on the way." Netto replied. Rockman had already pulled the map on his PET's holographic screen, and drawn the path that Enzan and Netto needed to follow.

"Once we have reached the destination, we will call for a Dimensional Area." Enzan added. "Only then will we make an attempt at breaking into their facilities."

The NetSaviors knew about the risks of their plan. The Dimensional Area was an invitation for the enemy to come, but the latter had already proven capable of making their own Dimensional Areas. This time, the NetPolice wanted to be a step ahead.

"Right. I wish you good luck, kids. And don't forget your earpieces." The agent replied, motioning to his own ear.

Netto fumbled to find the small device in his pockets, while Enzan had already equipped his. He attached it to his ear, and instantly felt like a secret agent who was going out for a critical mission. The item also reminded him of Laika, and he renewed his silent vow to rescue to not leave this area before his friend was safe and sound.

Enzan and Netto ventured into the woods, knowing that Commissioner Kifune was on the line, ready to speak new commands in their earpieces, if there was ever a change of plans.

Netto threw glances around him as he walked, his senses on high alert. He especially paid attention to the noises around, and gave the occasional glance to his PET as well. He wasn't only monitoring the road ahead, but also the progress of a little dot across the same map.

Enzan eventually caught Netto throwing cautious glances, and raised a dubious eyebrow. "If you're afraid of wild animals attacking us, then you should rest assured. No animal in its right mind would try to devour you."

"What's that supposed to mean ?" Netto retorted. He was genuinely offended, but also a little relieved that Enzan had the wrong idea. "Is it because I smell like curry ? If animals don't like that, it's their loss !"

Enzan couldn't stifle a chuckle. "Your stench is certainly part of the problem."

"Well, you smell like stale coffee, so I bet animals wouldn't want to eat you either." Netto pointed out. This little banter had almost taken his mind off their mission.

"… You have a point." Enzan conceded. "Now keep your voice down. We should be approaching the enemy's hideout now."

Netto nodded, and threw a glance at his screen again. He nearly let out a gasp, but stopped himself right in time.

The little dot was gone from his screen.

Unable to voice his concerns without revealing Dingo's entire plan, Netto could only hope that Dingo had finally remembered to switch off his PET's tracking system. Netto would have preferred to follow Dingo's progress until they met up, but he realized that if he could track Dingo's position so easily, then the NetPolice probably could too, as well as the enemy. This was probably the safest solution.

Enzan gestured for Netto to switch off his PET's screen. For the next few minutes, they would have to close in as stealthily as possible.

Netto could hear his heart pound to his ears. He followed Enzan's lead, and prayed that the enemy wasn't already hiding in the bushes, guns aiming at their heads.

The sound of a muffled cry alerted the two NetSaviors. Enzan threw his arm out, stopping Netto from rushing ahead without thinking.

"Who's there ?!" A voice shouted. It wasn't one that either boys recognized, so it had to belong to someone in the enemy's ranks. Before Netto or Enzan could intervene, there was a thud, followed by another short cry.

The forest went silent again, and Enzan rushed ahead, closely followed by Netto. While the latter had a vague idea of what might just have happened, Enzan was baffled to find two unconscious men lying on the ground. The culprit was right there, already tying up the wrists of his first victim with small pieces of rope.

"Dingo ?!" Enzan hissed, when he flashed his light on the newcomer's recognizable sweater. "What are you doing here ? You're not supposed to be part of this mission."

"Oh yeah ? Well, I'm here anyway." Dingo shrugged, not looking up from his work. He tied up the man's legs next, and immediately moved to restrain the other one.

Enzan remained silent for a few seconds, trying to sort out all his questions into order of priority. Dingo's presence drastically changed the plans, so much that Enzan was almost tempted to call the mission off. He soon remembered that a life was at stake here, and that Dingo's thoughtless actions couldn't be allowed to jeopardize the entire plan.

"We cannot afford to have you here." Enzan sighed. "You haven't been allowed back into the NetSaviors' ranks. What did you imagine ? That you could swoop in and save the day all by yourself ?"

"I thought I could help. And I just did." Dingo pointed at the two unconscious guards. "What are you gonna do, anyway ? Tell me to go back ? I won't do that. And if you're gonna try to get in my way, then I'll fight you."

Enzan was very tempted to knock Dingo out as well, but he couldn't stoop to the other boy's level. Dingo might be acting like an insufferable brat, but his presence had already proven to be helpful.

Netto remained unusually silent, which only irked Enzan even more. "You knew about all this, didn't you ?" He guessed, glaring daggers at Netto.

"Maybe. Or maybe not !" Netto raised his hands innocently. "But before you ask, I'm not the one who helped him get there."

Enzan turned to Dingo again, expecting a quick and short answer. The voice that replied wasn't one that he had expected to hear.

"I did." Searchman confessed, his hologram appearing above Dingo's shoulder. "While I understand why the NetPolice did not require my presence amongst their ranks for this mission, I must admit that I was … anxious to see you succeed. Dingo-san had the very same goal in mind, and so we helped each other out."

"… I see." Enzan felt a headache coming. He failed to understand why Searchman, a serious and diligent Navi, would agree to pair up with someone as rash and careless as Dingo, but they had no more time to waste speaking.

"Is everything okay, Enzan-kun ?" Commissioner Kifune's voice spoke into Enzan's earpiece, as if on cue.

"Yes, sir." Enzan immediately replied, a hand reaching up to activate his earpiece's transmission. "My apologies for not keeping you updated. We have only encountered a little … setback. Dingo has joined our party."

"Dingo-kun ?!" Kifune exclaimed, and only spoke again after a few seconds. "For some reason, I am not entirely surprised."

"Me neither, sir. I wished to send him back to your location, but he has already disposed of two guards, and might actually be able to help us. He has also brought Searchman along with him."

"Of course …" Kifune sighed. "Well, I trust you to manage your troops, Enzan-kun. We indeed do not have time to retrieve them. I suggest that we launch the Dimensional Area now."

"I agree. I apologize again, sir." Enzan instinctively bowed. "We will now head into their hideout."

Enzan's hand dropped to his side again, his disapproving gaze falling onto Dingo.

"I sincerely hope that you know what you're doing. Both of you." He eyed Searchman as well. Perhaps the two of them were just really that desperate to see Laika alive again, and to have their say in their friend's rescue. Enzan knew how it felt, to be utterly powerless.

Both Dingo and Searchman kept their replies to a simple nod. They both knew that their presence was unplanned, but they still intended to help as much as they could.

"Oh, right !" Netto suddenly spoke up, before they resumed their walk. His hand sunk into his pockets again, and he dug out another little earpiece, which he handed to Dingo. "I got one for you too. I knew you'd make it."

Dingo took the little device, and had a confident smile. "You know I never give up."

As soon as he was equipped, Dingo truly realized that he had succeeded. He was going to be part of Laika's rescue team. His moment of pride soon passed, when he remembered that true victory would only come once Laika was rescued for real.

A pinkish dome appeared above the group's heads, coloring the landscape around them in iridescent hues. Dingo frowned, and sent a concerned glance in Netto's direction.

"Don't worry, this one comes from us." Netto explained, putting an index finger to his forehead. "We figured we'd beat them at their own game. They can't surprise us with a Dimensional Area, if we already made ours."

Dingo nodded, only half-reassured by the explanation. As confident as he wanted to seem, he wasn't certain how long he could handle CrossFusion, or if he could handle it at all. The bandages around his chest suddenly felt a little tighter.

The three NetSaviors moved towards the cave inside which the enemy's hideout was hidden. They soon spotted one more guard standing by the entrance. The faint light of a cigarette hung from his lips, but he didn't look relaxed at all. The Dimensional Area's presence must have alerted everyone inside the facility.

The group took refuge behind a rock, so they could devise a new plan.

"Can I knock him out ?" Dingo whispered, not bothering to hide his eagerness at the thought. "I knocked the other's two's lights out with my tomahawk."

He caught the distressed glances his teammates sent him, and thought wise to explain : "Not with the actual blade. The hammer-like end. Don't look at me like that, they deserved it … For Laika's sake."

Netto nodded vigorously, and even Enzan tilted his head. While he shared Dingo's sentiment here, knocking the enemy out in one hit didn't quite satisfy his need for justice.

"You won't be able to sneak in behind him." Enzan pointed out. "He seems bent on guarding this very entrance … This must be the only way inside the facility."

"If we all CrossFuse, we can easily beat him, even if he's armed." Netto pointed out. He knew that actual bullets could still hurt him, even when CrossFused, but he would have plenty of means to deflect the enemy's attacks.

Enzan paused to think. He eyed the small hologram on Dingo's shoulder, thinking that he might as well make use of Searchman's military abilities.

"Can you track down the enemy's presence inside these rock walls ?" He asked.

"Yes. My tracking system will be more efficient once we are inside, but I ought to be able to see a human presence approaching."

"Good." Enzan nodded. "Our initial plan was that Netto would rush in and find Laika, while I stayed back to fight the enemy. Now that you and Dingo are here, I rather want to send you two out to find and rescue Laika, while Netto and I cover your backs."

Dingo quickly understood the true reasoning behind Enzan's suggestion. "You don't want me fighting."

"No, I don't." Enzan admitted. "However, I assumed that you would still understand how important your part is."

"It's the most important part, actually." Netto insisted. He would feel a little more reassured knowing that Dingo wasn't on the front lines, either. He didn't want a remake of the warehouse, with him carrying Dingo's unconscious body out of the cave.

"… Alright. I'll do it." Dingo conceded. He had a glance for Searchman's hologram, and corrected himself : "We'll do it."

Searchman nodded as well, his mind entirely focused on their end goal. He intended to be as useful as he could be, and his cooperation with Dingo had been rather successful so far.

"Alright." Enzan nodded, glad to see everyone agree to his plan. "Netto and I will rush in first, and you will follow. Make sure not to get spotted by the enemy."

Netto and Dingo both nodded, and Enzan was the first to reach for his PET. His other hand went fishing for his SynchroChip, and he eyed Netto, who already held both items in his own hands.

The two NetSaviors initiated their CrossFusion, and rushed towards the guard before the latter could react. The guard raised his gun and opened fire, but CF Blues blocked the bullets with a Barrier, and kicked the weapon out of the guard's hands before he could fire another round. CF Blues sent a punch at the man's temple, knocking him into the stone wall.

The man wasn't knocked out yet. He had time to reach for his pocket, and send a signal with his PET. His boss had probably seen this attack coming, but now she was warned. She should have time to escape.

The guard collapsed to his feet, and CF Blues gestured for their teammates to follow.

CF Rockman rushed inside by kicking the metal door open, their buster primed, ready to activate a Barrier as well. The NetSaviors weren't used to facing human opponents, but CF Rockman wouldn't have to worry about it.

The facility's entrance was filled with heel Navis.


	19. Chapter 19

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Congratulations, Laika ! You survived long enough to be rescued \o/
> 
> Dingo gets to beat up more people. But there are some fights that even he has to give up on ...

CF Rockman leapt back outside, closely followed by a volley of buster shots. If their reflexes had been any slower, they would have been blasted off instantly.

"It's swarming with heel Navis in there !" CF Rockman warned, gesturing to the open door. "We're gonna have to cut the path open, before Dingo can get in …"

CF Blues nodded, already knowing what their teammate would suggest.

"Two Program Advances should be enough." CF Rockman added, returning CF Blues' knowing glance. "They're stupidly weak, heel Navis."

CF Rockman turned around, and saw that Dingo hadn't CrossFused yet. They frowned, but chose not to point it out. Maybe Dingo didn't think himself capable of holding CrossFusion for a long time …

"Get ready. We'll make you a real nice path." CF Rockman grinned, confidence shining in their brown eyes.

Dingo returned a thumbs up, and remained prepared to bolt as soon as he could get in. CF Rockman had guessed right - Dingo knew that CrossFusion would give him a boost of strength, and make him less vulnerable, but only for a short period of time. Dingo wanted to save it for once he had found Laika, so he’d be certain to have the strength to carry the soldier away.

CF Blues and CF Rockman each stood by one side of the door, and rushed into the underground facility at the same time. The heel Navis immediately primed their busters, but the two NetSaviors were already one step ahead.

"Program Advance !" They both roared at the same time, their arms raised above their heads.

A massive cannon came to replace CF Rockman's hands. They primed the weapon at the crowd, and the blast opened a straight-line path through the group of heel Navis. CF Blues followed right after, a massive sword replacing one of their arms. In a matter of seconds, the heel Navis had been decimated.

"Now, Dingo !" CF Rockman yelled.

A hooded silhouette zoomed past the two fighters, a hologram standing on each of his shoulders. Searchman was actively scanning their surroundings, trying to figure out the facility's layout, while Tomahawkman surveyed their close surroundings. Dingo focused on running as fast as his legs could handle.

"This corridor goes on deep inside the mountain, in a slightly downhill slope." Searchman explained. "There are several rooms on each side."

"Can you figure out … what's inside them ?" Dingo asked, already short on breath. His lungs felt like they might explode at any moment. The corridor was only dimly lit with old neon lightbulbs, most of which flickered every odd second.

"Most of these rooms seem to be empty. I will be able to tell if there is a human or digital presence inside each room. However, I suggest that you move with caution. My calculations are not absolute."

Dingo nodded, knowing very well that more enemies could be hiding behind each of these doors.

He felt the pressure of the rock above his head, as if the entire mountain's weight was pushing down onto his shoulders. He could hear the sound of buster shots in the background, and knew that the enemy wasn't giving his teammates any time to rest.

"I have located a human presence in the room to your next right." Searchman informed Dingo, his voice betraying a hint of nervousness.

Dingo skidded to a stop, and reached for the door. It looked even heavier and rustier than the facility's entrance door, and Dingo had to lean against it with his entire weight.

The door creaked open, revealing a room that was plunged into darkness. The humidity inside it was almost palpable, and immediately assaulted Dingo's throat. He kept his guard up, expecting an enemy to lunge at him … But the room remained eerily silent.

"Are you sure there's someone in there ?" Dingo asked, almost afraid of the answer.

"Affirmative. I detect the heat of a human body, however faint. They should be on your left."

Dingo switched on his PET's flashlight, and shone it in the direction that Searchman had indicated. He first noticed a chain buried into the wall, and followed it all the way to a bed frame. A gasp escaped his throat.

Laika laid there on his side, his face turned towards the wall. Dingo rushed to the bed, his heart pounding louder than ever under his ribs.

"Laika !! Laika, can you hear me ?" Dingo yelled, his free hand reaching for Laika's shoulder. He turned the soldier onto his back, and felt his heart skip a beat.

Dark, purple bags sunk under Laika's eyes. His face was emaciated, his veins visible even in the PET's dim light. Dingo gave the soldier a quick look over, and noticed that he was only skin and bones.

"He's alive." Searchman spoke up, breaking Dingo away from his trance. Something had broken in the Navi's voice, his usually professional tone replaced by clear concern for his operator's safety. "If he were not, I would have been unable to detect his body heat."

Dingo nodded, but he still searched for the soldier's pulse. He reached for Laika's wrist, and was horrified by how thin it was. The handcuff around it could almost slide off his entire hand.

"Yeah … I can feel something." Dingo realized. There was a pulse, but it was awfully faint. Dingo had to carry Laika out of here as fast as possible.

"Behind you !!" Tomahawkman shrieked, interrupting Dingo's thoughts.

Dingo threw himself down, and barely avoided the hands that had been reaching for his neck.

In his concern for Laika, Searchman had failed to notice another presence approaching on his radar. Tomahawkman had torn his gaze away from Laika's unconscious form just in time, and saw the silhouette approach right before it was too late.

Dingo heard someone curse, but he didn't pause to think. He was playing his trump card earlier than he'd like, but the faster he'd disposed of this enemy, the faster he would bring Laika to safety.

He placed Searchman's PET at Laika's feet, and slotted his SynchroChip in. He didn't want to risk carrying the soldier’s PET on his person when he CrossFused, but he couldn't give the enemy a chance to catch it, either.

The intruder was blinded by a flash of light, and Dingo felt the usual warmth of CrossFusion envelop his body. A wince tugged at his lips when the armor covered his chest, and put pressure on his barely closed wounds. He would have to endure the pain for now.

As soon as CrossFusion was complete, CF Tomahawkman threw away their axe, and lunged at their opponent. They tackled the intruder to the cold floor, and pushed them both into the faint light that came from the corridor.

The light let them see the glint of a small blade in the intruder's hand. CF Tomahawkman's reaction came too slow, and the attacker aimed a mean slash of his scalpel at CF Tomahawkman's face.

The fusion let out a sharp cry, but they didn't let the pain blind them. They rolled away from their opponent, but made no attempt at retrieving their weapon. A misplaced slash of the axe could certainly kill a human being.

Instead, they intended to fight with their bare hands. Their eyes had soon adjusted to the darkness, and their slightly heightened senses let them feel the intruder attacking again.

This time, CF Tomahawkman was able to get a good look at their face. The attacker was a relatively young man, his face ravaged by stress and exhaustion. He wore a paramedic's blouse, stained with dry blood and other substances that CF Tomahawkman did not recognize. Hatred burnt bright in the man's eyes.

"You NetSaviors … you think you're saving the day again." The man growled. A wicked smile tugged at his lips. "But you haven't. You're coming too late !"

CF Tomahawkman frowned. "You can keep that for when the NetPolice interrogates you." They replied, trying not to let the man's words shake their determination.

"We'll let you get away with your buddy … Not that there's much of him left to save." The man went on, shaking his scalpel menacingly as he spoke. "But it's too late to stop us … We got everything we wanted !"

CF Tomahawkman didn't want to listen anymore. They lunged at their enemy, and knocked the scalpel out of the man's hand with a high kick. The motion forced a wince onto CF Tomahawkman's traits, but they didn't let it stop them. They reached for the man's neck, and shoved him against the wall.

"All we care about is saving Laika. The rest's the NetPolice's problem." CF Tomahawkman growled. "And whatever you did to Laika … We'll make you pay for it !"

The man was already starting to suffocate, his eyes trying to bulge out of their orbits. CF Tomahawkman loosened their grip, and the man crumbled to the floor, hardly conscious.

CF Tomahawkman quickly retrieved their axe, and used it to sever the rusty chain that kept Laika tied to the wall. They used the severed chain to tie the man's wrists together, and finally turned to Laika again. They gently lifted his unconscious body into their arms, and placed the soldier's PET in the latter's lap. They picked up their axe next, careful to place the blade's side against Laika's back. They couldn't have Laika accidentally cut himself on the weapon.

"I have located another escape road on your right, but it stretches underground for several hundred meters under the ground." Searchman indicated, immediately returning to his guiding map. "As such, the shortest route is through the entrance, although I assume that Rockman and Blues are still in the middle of the battle."

CF Tomahawkman could hear crashing noises in the background, and wondered just how many heel Navis the enemy was willing to sacrifice. They couldn't possibly win the battle with an army of weaklings, but perhaps their goal wasn't actually to win. If they only wanted to stall the NetSaviors' progress, they were doing a great job at it.

"We'll take the tunnel." CF Tomahawkman decided. They turned to the right, the corridor just wide enough for them to fit with Laika in their arms.

The thought of heading even deeper underground filled Dingo with terror, but he chased the thoughts away. He couldn't start panicking when they were so close to the goal. Tomahawkman's energy kept him going, and helped him ignore the searing pain that coursed through his chest. The ambient pressure did nothing to help him breathe.

CF Tomahawkman hurried into the corridor, and eventually reached the door at its very end. It was just as rusty as the others, but with their enhanced strength, CF Tomahawkman kicked the door opened without much effort. They ran as fast as they could, all while making sure not to jolt Laika too much.

"Wait !" Searchman suddenly called, all sense of formality forgotten, replaced by clear panic. "I see a presence up ahead."

CF Tomahawkman stopped, confusion and panic swelling in their chest. The tunnel was plunged into near darkness - the only light came from the Dimensional Area's faint pink glow, which had become stronger now that they reached its edge.

"They must've tried to run that way, and got blocked by the Dimensional Area." CF Tomahawkman guessed. They were about to go back, when a chilling noise made them freeze.

Someone had just loaded a gun.

"Don't move, NetSavior." A flashlight shone into CF Tomahawkman's eyes, blinding them for a short instant. "Oh, you're the other kid ! I can't believe they'd actually send you here, after your friend almost killed you … I see you found him, by the way."

CF Tomahawkman couldn't make out the enemy's face, which was still entirely hidden in the shadow. He could only see their hand reaching out, firmly holding a small handgun. They bit back their rage, knowing that if they took a step closer, the enemy would shoot at Laika.

"You're going to turn around, and go back the way you came from. Oh, and it'd be great if you forgot that you ever saw me here, too." The voice had a chilling laugh. "Your priority's to bring your poor broken friend to safety, am I right ? You've got no time to waste trying to catch me. And I don't suppose you can reach the ambulances without calling off that Dimensional Area, either … If I were you, I'd hurry up. He's dying in your arms, literally."

CF Tomahawkman cursed under their breath. The villain might have gotten trapped by accident, but they still had a tight backup plan. The moment the Dimensional Area was deactivated, they would be running out of here.

"Searchman." CF Tomahawkman softly called, taking a few steps back without taking their eyes off the charged gun. "Tell the NetPolice to go looking for this tunnel's end."

"They won't find it." The disembodied voice sneered. "Why are you still here ? This should be a no-brainer ! Or are you even more stupid than that ?"

"You won't get away so easily." CF Tomahawkman growled. "We'll hunt you down. And we'll make you pay for this !"

"Right." The voice responded, not sounding afraid at all. "Now go back to playing hero, while you still can !"

CF Tomahawkman didn't need to hear any more taunts. They spun on their heels and darted away, biting at their lip in bitterness. The enemy had been so close, yet they were out of reach. Still, CF Tomahawkman didn't give in to despair.

They would have another chance to catch the enemy, but they only had this one chance to save Laika.


	20. Chapter 20

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The rescue mission reaches its end.   
> Was it really a success ?

CF Blues relentlessly slashed his sword around, each swing taking out several enemies at once. Further in the background, CF Rockman shot the heel Navis down one by one, but tiredness was starting to show on their traits.

"There's no end to them …" CF Blues mumbled. Why was the enemy so hellbent on keeping the two NetSaviors busy ? None of the heel Navis had even tried to follow Dingo into the corridor. This was almost too easy …

"This is pointless … Each time we delete one, another one shows up !" CF Rockman yelled. "Just show yourself already, Shademan !"

The Darkloid's name seemed to trigger something inside the heel Navis. They all stopped fighting at once, and turned around to face CF Rockman. Their movements were perfectly synchronized, as if they were all part of the same entity.

"Shademan-sama is not coming. We are only here to distract you." The heel Navis claimed. Their voices were almost robotic, as if they were reciting a script. "One of you rescues the soldier. The others must be kept busy while our leaders run away."

"Your leaders ? Who are you talking about ?" CF Rockman questioned.

The heel Navis did not answer. They all raised their busters again, ready to open fire.

CF Tomahawkman finally reached the end of the corridor, and skidded to a stop before they could step into the larger cavity. The heel Navis all turned around again, and saw the unconscious human in CF Tomahawkman's arms.

"Our mission has been accomplished." They announced. Before any of the NetSaviors could react, they all vanished in a cloud of pixels.

"Wait !" CF Rockman called, in vain. A heavy silence fell onto the room.

"We have to get out." CF Blues reminded his teammates, eyeing Laika's limp form. "I'll call off the Dimensional Area."

"Wait !" CF Tomahawkman interrupted. "I saw them … the enemy. They were in a tunnel that goes outside … I wanted to fight them, but they had … a gun … and I already had Laika with me …"

"Calm down." CF Blues commanded, seeing CF Tomahawkman start to hyperventilate. "Nothing good will come out of panicking now."

"So they're still down there ? They can't get out because of the Dimensional Area ?" CF Rockman asked.

CF Tomahawkman kept their reply to a nod. They had to lean against the nearest wall, each breath harder to take in than the previous one.

"We're outta time …" CF Tomahawkman wheezed. "Laika, he … He's barely alive …"

A silent understanding passed between the NetSaviors. CF Blues and CF Rockman exchanged a glance, and CF Blues raised a hand to their hearing receptor, ready to send a transmission.

"We'll catch them eventually. I swear." CF Rockman promised, as they hurried to their friends' side. "Can you carry him outside ?"

CF Tomahawkman gave a nod. They were going to carry out his task until the very end, even if it cost Dingo two extra weeks at the hospital afterwards.

The three NetSaviors headed outside, without a glance back. There was no enemy left to fight inside the facility.

The Dimensional Area faded away when the group reached its border. Dingo's knees immediately buckled under Laika's weight, but Netto and Enzan caught them both before they fell. A group of medics rushed in, already carrying a stretcher.

Laika was safely carried away from Dingo's arms, and the latter could finally collapse to his knees. When Netto rushed in to help him back to his feet, Dingo raised a hand to stop him.

"Gimme … just a sec'." Dingo whispered. Contradictory thoughts collided in his mind - relief over saving Laika, bitterness and rage over letting the enemy go. They were probably running off into the wild by now, and even with the NetPolice scanning the area, they might just escape.

"Laika will be fine. We did what we came here to do." Netto insisted, a comforting hand set on Dingo's shoulder.

Dingo let out a cry of rage, and punched the ground with all the strength he had left. His earpiece slipped from his ear, but he didn’t bother picking it up. He couldn't stop the tears that came rolling down his cheeks. All the stress of the past week was finally evacuating, but a bitter taste lingered in his mouth.

After a few seconds, Dingo finally accepted the hand that Netto was holding out. He shoved the earpiece into his pocket, and let Netto heave him back to his feet, all while taking a glance around. NetPolice agents were already rushing inside the facility, dragging the handcuffed criminals to their secure vans. Enzan and Commissioner Kifune were discussing the mission in the distance, and the medics carried Laika away.

"I wanna go with him." Dingo realized. He tried to walk in the ambulance's direction, but his legs wouldn't let him take a single step.

"I'll come with you." Netto decided. He looked in Enzan's direction, and gestured towards the ambulance.

Enzan didn't wait for Kifune's approval, and gave Netto a nod in reply. The debriefing could wait until Laika was safely transported to the hospital. He understood Dingo and Netto's need to be there - to make sure that Laika wasn't stolen away right before their eyes again.

Netto dragged Dingo's arm over his own shoulders, and helped his friend walk to the ambulance.

"You'll need to get a proper checkup too." He pointed out, seeing Dingo's free hand clutch his sweater. "Those wounds never got the chance to heal up, did they ?"

Dingo offered his friend a weak smile. "Don't worry. I'm gonna stay in bed this time."

"You better !" Netto forced a serious frown. "Maybe we should ask the staff to put you and Laika in the same room, so he can keep an eye on you …"

"No, thanks." Dingo winced at the idea. His expression turned bitter again. "He'll probably be sleeping for a while, anyway …"

Netto went silent. He had caught a glimpse of Laika's state, and he could only pray that Laika wouldn't stay asleep forever.

"He'll be fine. This is Laika we're talking about." Netto never stayed down in the dumps for too long.

They finally reached the ambulance, which was almost ready to leave. Netto and Dingo were allowed to climb in at the back, if only they promised to stay still on their seats while the car was moving.

The boys did as they were told. Dingo certainly couldn't be standing in a moving vehicle, in any case.

One medic gave the boys a quick checkup, and caught sight of the cut that stretched across Dingo's cheek. The boy himself had completely forgotten about the knife wound, and barely winced when the medic cleaned it with disinfectant. It wasn't very deep, but it would leave a scar if it didn't heal up properly.

Laika's face was even more terrifying from up close, in the ambulance's bright light. The bags under his eyes sunk deeper than Dingo had first thought, and his veins looked like they had been tattooed onto his skin. They were a shade of purple that couldn't possibly be natural.

"This can't just be because of Shademan …" Netto mumbled. He recognized the symptoms of Dark Aura contamination, but Laika's face bore traces of a corruption beyond anything the NetPolice had ever seen.

The road trip felt like an eternity to the boys, even if the ambulance was considerably faster than the cars that had brought them to the hideout. The medics never stopped working on Laika, the relentless beeps coming from the medical machines almost covering the roars of the engine.

Even with the noises and the constant jolts, Dingo felt his consciousness slip away. His chin eventually hit his chest, his body shaking even more with each bump in the mountain road. Once the ambulance reached the city, its blaring sirens hardly even reached Dingo’s ears.

Netto never took his gaze away from Laika, until a medic handed him a green PET.

Searchman immediately appeared over the device, an unusual amount of concern showing on his traits.

"We will soon be arriving at the hospital, assuming that Laika-sama will be taken to the same location as usual." He announced. He had calculated the estimated time of arrival the moment the ambulance had driven off, but his predictions updated every minute, with how fast the ambulance was driving.

"I guess so. This is the hospital where Misaki-san was, too …" Netto recalled. His memories from that event were distant, and a little fuzzy, but at least the medical staff would have some experience. His father would surely rush to help as well, and Laika would recover, just like Agent Misaki did. Even if Laika looked way worse than Misaki ever did, there had to be a way to cure him completely.

"Don't worry, Searchman. I'm sure he'll be fine." Netto had a reassuring smile. "You'll get to be with him the whole time, too. I'm sure he'll be really happy to see you again, when he wakes up."

Searchman only nodded in reply. He appreciated Netto's comfort, but his worries couldn't be erased so easily. Even if Laika was just a meter away, he still felt distant, out of reach. The next hours would decide whether Laika had really been saved or not.

The ambulance eventually stopped, in a loud screech of tires. The medics immediately rushed Laika's stretcher out, and Netto had to shake Dingo awake.

"We're here. You need help walking ?" Netto questioned.

Dingo's eyes were glassy for a few seconds, until the ambulance's blinding lights forced him to focus. He struggled to unfasten his seat belt, and shook his head. The short amount of rest he had gotten should be enough.

The boys hurried out of the ambulance, Netto still holding onto Laika's PET. He would keep his promise to have Searchman stay by his operator's side, so he ran to catch up with the medics, and dropped the PET on the stretcher. The doctors might have to move it away while they worked, but at least Searchman would be in the same room.

"Get your friend back to his room." A medic told Netto, while his colleagues pushed the stretcher away. "We'll keep you updated."

Netto watched the hospital staff rush Laika into the corridors, and waited for Dingo to catch up with him. The latter looked like he might collapse again at any second.

"Can't we wait … around here ?" Dingo asked, already out of breath.

Netto gave a shrug. "We can't get any closer to him right now, so we can just go to your room instead. At least we'll have somewhere to sit or lie down …"

Dingo felt too tired to disagree. He followed Netto to the nearest elevator, but before the boys could climb in, a hand reached for Netto's shoulder.

"Papa !" Netto exclaimed with glee. His father looked like he hadn't slept in weeks, but Netto was still reassured to see a familiar face.

"I'm sorry, Netto, I don't have much time … I just wanted to make sure that you're okay." Dr. Hikari confessed. He had a smile for Dingo as well. "It's good to see you up and going, Dingo-kun, but I'm not sure that the hospital staff appreciated your … unexpected leave."

Dingo looked down at his feet. "… I'll apologize to them." He promised. He couldn't look any weaker than he did at the moment, in any case.

"Good. I'll be on my way, then. And thank you for bringing Laika-kun back with us. You can be proud."

The professor had a last smile for the two boys, and rushed away from sight.

Netto watched his father leave, and didn't notice the elevator's doors opening. He caught Dingo nearly falling in the corner of his vision, and threw out an arm just in time to stop his friend’s fall.

"You'd better sleep for real." Netto advised, eyeing the bags under Dingo's eyes.

Dingo barely had the strength to give a nod. He leaned against the elevator's walls, and had to rely on Netto as they walked out again. Dingo reluctantly let Netto hold his arm, and guide him back to his despised bedroom.

It felt odd to be back here. His room was cleaner than when he had left, his bedsheets changed, the floors rubbed with disinfectant. The stench attacked Dingo's nose even more strongly than in the corridors.

Dingo was surprised to find not one, but two blankets folded at the end of his bed. He crashed more than he sat onto his bed, and held out a blanket for Netto to take.

"The nurses were probably told that someone'd be staying with you …" Netto guessed. He gladly accepted the blanket, and sat down in the chair by Dingo's bed.

Dingo fumbled for his bed's remote, and made the window's blind shut down. The sky was already taking pink and orange hues, and the sun would soon be rising.

Despite all the stress they both felt, sleep found Dingo and Netto rather easily. Dingo felt like his head had been bashed in with a hammer, and was asleep before his head even hit the pillow. He didn't bother trying to slip out of his clothes, even if his bandages surely needed to be changed.

Netto wasn't sitting in a very comfortable solution, but the accumulated stress and tiredness overcame his discomfort rather quickly.

The next time they woke up, Laika's future would no longer be so uncertain.


	21. Chapter 21

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We slowly approach the epilogue ...   
> Laika might not realize it, but he's in good hands now \o/

Dingo woke up with great difficulty. His eyes blinked open, struggling to identify the room he was in. Everything was plunged into darkness, and he could hardly make out the outline of his own bed. He moved his hand to reach for his PET, and hit a cold, metallic railing instead.

The memories rushed back in at once. He was back in his hospital room.

"Tomahawkman …" Dingo muttered, hoping that hearing his Navi's voice would help him locate his PET.

"Oh, you're awake !" Tomahawkman called, from right next to Dingo's left hand. "Wait up, I'll open the stores."

Tomahawkman easily accessed the room's commands, and made the electric stores roll open A dim light poured into Dingo's bedroom, filling the boy with even more confusion. He remembered the sun not being up yet when he had gone to sleep …

"You slept through the whole day." Tomahawkman informed his operator, catching the puzzled look in the boy's eyes. "Don't worry, you didn't miss anything. I'm just worried that you've ruined your sleep schedule for good …"

Dingo's sleep schedule was the least of the boy's concerns. "Where's Netto ?" He asked, noticing the empty chair next to his bed.

"He went out a moment ago. Said he'd bring back some food, too. But I'll message him and let him know you're awake !"

Dingo nodded, his thoughts already travelling to another concern.

"What about Laika ?"

Tomahawkman didn't answer right away. "I haven't heard much yet. Netto said he'd go check up on him directly, and I've tried to get in touch with Searchman too, but he didn't answer."

Dingo grabbed his bedsheets, and squeezed the fabric tight. He couldn't stand to be left in the dark again.

"I'll go too. Tell Netto to meet me wherever Laika is." Dingo decided. He still felt a little dizzy, but his legs should be able to bear his weight now.

"I was supposed to call the nurses when you woke up, but …" Tomahawkman sighed. He knew that he wasn't doing Dingo a favor by letting him walk free, but he, too, wanted to know how Laika was doing.

Dingo slowly slid from his bed, and slipped into his boots. He was glad to find his room unlocked, and tried to recall the way he and Netto had come from.

"Netto says he'll meet you in the lobby downstairs." Tomahawkman explained. "Nobody's allowed to see Laika yet, but they should transfer him out of the ICU soon."

Dingo nodded, and pocketed his PET. His muscles felt sore, and his chest hurt faintly, but it was nothing he couldn't endure.

He closed his bedroom door behind him, and was headed towards the elevator, when the sound of someone clearing their throat made him turn around.

"Fancy seeing you here, young man." The stern nurse stated, not sounding pleased at all. Her eyes seemed to be shooting laser rays again, and Dingo could feel discontent oozing from her entire frame.

"I'm, uh … I'm just going to see my friend." Dingo felt his bravado fade away. He had spent the past two weeks butting heads with this specific nurse, but for once, he didn't feel like standing up to her. He only wanted to go see if Laika was still alive.

The nurse stared in silence for a few seconds, and eventually sighed. She peered at Dingo through her glasses, her gaze more intense than ever. "I figured as much. I won't stop you, as long as you promise not to leave the building again. Do you understand ?"

"Yes, ma'am." Dingo nodded. The nurse was tough, but she wasn't mean. "I swear I'll be back as soon as I know if he's okay."

"And I will refrain from locking you up in your bedroom when you return." The nurse had a very thin smile. "Just know that I will be personally keeping an eye on you until you are officially discharged."

Dingo accepted his fate, which was perfectly fair. He wouldn't betray the nurse's trust twice.

"Now go. Your friends are waiting." The nurse gestured to the elevator ahead.

"Thank you very much, ma'am !" Dingo hurried away, silently promising to be a little nicer to the nurse over the next few days. His patience had its limits, but even he could be on his best behavior, when he tried really hard.

Dingo headed straight for the main lobby, almost empty at this hour of the day. Visiting hours ought to be over soon, but he hoped that Netto would be given special clearance to stay, given the circumstances.

Netto was already sitting down in a chair, with a paper bag on his lap. Another familiar face was sitting a few chairs further, and Dingo frowned at its sight.

"Why are you here ?" He asked, even if he could already guess the real reasons for his fellow NetSavior's presence.

"I may not have a lot of free time, unlike you, but I am free to dispose of my schedule the way I like." Enzan retorted.

"Be nice, you two." Netto called, finding it odd to not be the one bickering with Enzan. He raised his paper bag in Dingo's direction, hoping to appease Dingo's spirits. "I brought curry buns."

Dingo immediately forgot about his urge to bicker, and sat down in a chair next to Netto. He eagerly reached for the paper bag, and ate a curry bun with his usual appetite. In just three bites, the snack was history.

Enzan frowned in slight disgust, but Netto was happy to see his friend eat at his usual rhythm. The times when Dingo could hardly chew at all felt distant now.

Dingo had a glance for Enzan. He grabbed the paper bag from Netto's lap, so he could hold it out in Enzan's direction.

"You should try these. They taste a billion time than whatever rich people food you eat." Dingo claimed.

Enzan did not bother replying to Dingo's comment, and much to the latter's surprise, he reached out to take a snack from the bag.

Netto and Dingo both stared intently at Enzan, closely observing his reaction.

"They taste good." Enzan nodded. "As good as the ones you and Sakurai baked in Beyondard, if not better."

"That's because these ones were baked by Dekao." Dingo pointed out, a proud smile tugging at his lips.

"Dekao ?" Enzan repeated, a little surprised. He may not have much esteem for Dekao in general, but he had to admire his cooking skills. "My compliments to the chef, then."

"I'll make sure he knows you liked them." Dingo kept smiling. Dekao would be beyond surprised to hear this.

A silence settled on the lobby again, the curry buns' warm scent bringing a little bit of comfort in the cold environment. None of the NetSaviors knew what kind of conversation they could start, when all their minds were all focused on the same thing.

Fortunately, a distraction soon came in the shape of Dr. Hikari.

"Good, you're all here." The man looked even more tired than before, but a smile tugged at his lips.

Three pairs of eyes stared at the scientist, the NetSaviors all sitting at the edge of their seats.

"Laika-kun has been transferred to his own room, in the neurology ward. His case is actually a little more special than just the realm of neurology, but I'll spare you the details."

Dingo looked even more relieved at the professor's last words.

"Is he gonna be okay ?" Netto asked, speaking the words that the three boys all thought.

"It is a little early to know what kind of after-effects his condition might have. We have been able to diagnose what was done to him, though."

The man paused, hoping that the news wouldn't be more than the boys could handle. He remembered trying to lie to his son's face, just two weeks prior, and figured that keeping the truth away from them was not the right choice.

"It appears that he was seriously infected with Dark Aura. The amounts of it left in his blood were beyond anything that was ever measured in Misaki-kun's blood, or in your body after you CrossFused with Dark Blues, Enzan-kun."

Dingo looked a little confused, but Netto gestured to him that he would explain later.

"Have you been able to evaluate the exact seriousness of the infection ?" Enzan questioned. This all hit way too close to home.

"The readings are so high that they exceed anything we thought was possible. He was most likely infected with increasing doses, up to a certain breaking point. He might experience some withdrawal symptoms, but we plan on purifying his system as much as possible, before he wakes up. How he was infected, without the use of CrossFusion, is beyond our understanding for now."

Dingo bit at his lip in frustration. "This is it … this is what Shademan kept bragging about. His big plans, or whatever … He just wanted a lab rat. And he got everything he wanted …"

Netto set a hand on Dingo's shoulder, hoping to stop his friend's anger from flaring up. "No more beating yourself up about what happened in the warehouse, alright ? Laika's back with us now, and he's going to heal."

He looked up at his father, his eyes betraying how uncertain he really felt. "Right ?"

Dr. Hikari didn't dare make promises he could keep. "His condition is stable for now. However, we have no estimations as to when he will wake up. His body needs to replenish its energy drastically."

Dingo remembered how light Laika had felt in his arms - how thin his wrists has been, how fragile he had looked. It only made sense that he would need days of sleep.

"Can we at least see him ?" Netto questioned. He wasn't sure that seeing Laika in this state would help him, but at least he could confirm that Laika was really there. All this talk felt too unreal.

"Yes, but it's most likely not a sight that any of you will enjoy." Dr. Hikari looked at the three NetSaviors, and hoped that he wasn't making a mistake. "I can lead you to his bedroom."

The boys nodded in unison, and quietly followed after the professor. Dingo took that chance to ask his fellow NetSaviors about the detail that nagged at his mind.

"D'you know how many people got arrested after last night ?"

"Four, I believe." Enzan replied. "The three guards that were knocked out outside, and another man inside the labs. I believe you're the one who took care of that one as well."

Dingo hadn't asked so he could brag about his arrest count. He cursed under his breath, which surprised the other two boys.

"There was one more. I didn't get to see their face … They were in some kinda tunnel that started at the end of the facility."

"I've heard the agents mention it." Enzan explained. "But they didn't make any mention of a fifth person. Why didn't you stop them ?"

"They had a gun !" Dingo exclaimed, only to remember where he was. His voice dropped to an angry whisper. "And I already had Laika with me. They were gonna shoot him, if I tried to attack."

"I see. I apologize." Enzan was being sincere, even if he was now certain that the mastermind of this whole plot was still running free.

"We didn't have any luck with Shademan, either. He didn't even show up …" Netto grumbled. "But what really matters is that we got Laika back. We'll catch the bad guys next time for sure !"

Dingo and Enzan both nodded. The enemy couldn't run away forever.

Dr. Hikari led the way to a room in another ward, and Dingo did his best to remember the room's number. He intended to spend most of his time watching over Laika.

"Make sure not to get too close to the bed. There are a lot of machines around."

Indeed, the bed was surrounded with way more consoles than in Dingo's bedroom. Laika’s face was hidden under an oxygen mask, and several tubes plunged into his arms. A heart monitor gave a regular beep, the only sign that Laika was really alive.

In the hospital room's white light, Laika's face was even paler than Dingo remembered. The dark rings under his eyes had a chill crawl down Enzan's spine, while Netto couldn't take his eyes away from the pouches that hung on an IV drip, right by Laika's bed.

"What's this purple liquid ?" Netto asked, dreading to hear the answer. "It's the same color as DarkChips …"

"That is a sample of Laika-kun's blood." Dr. Hikari revealed. He saw the three boys' eyes widen, and managed a reassuring smile. "We're in the process of cleansing it from the Dark Aura. We're only gathering what we can collect in order to find a better cure. Much like it's possible to cure an infected Navi, I'm sure we'll find a proper cure for infected human beings."

Enzan was the first to nod, while Dingo and Netto exchanged a worried glance.

"So … what's gonna happen to Laika, if you don't have the cure yet ?" Dingo asked.

"We're going to filter the infected blood out of his system." Dr. Hikari explained. "We are mostly concerned about the Dark Aura that has already left his veins, and seeped into the rest of his body. But so far, the doctors haven't detected any signs of irreversible damage."

Dingo finally nodded as well. He wasn't trying to understand all the science behind Dr. Hikari's plans, and only wanted reassurance that when Laika would wake up, he would still be the same Laika they all knew - and not the Laika who had tried to murder him.

"I think you should all go take some rest." Dr. Hikari gently pushed the boys towards the door, with a last glance back at Laika. "Don't worry yourselves more than necessary. Laika-kun is in good hands, this time. I promise."

The NetSaviors did their best to look convinced. While Netto had entire faith in his father, and Enzan knew that Dr. Hikari was the best caretaker one could have, Dingo's doubts remained. He hadn't seen a very tight security system around Laika's room. He also knew how easy it was to break out of the hospital, and it couldn't be much harder to break in.

Dr. Hikari seemed to catch the uncertainty in Dingo's gaze. "I assure you that he's being watched closely. No unauthorized personnel can have access to his room, and Searchman will remain by his side at all times."

Dingo felt bad for forgetting about the Navi. His gaze dropped to his feet, a slight blush of shame warming up his cheeks. "You're right. I'm sorry I doubted you."

"It's all good. And I'll make sure that that you can visit him as much as you wish, if it reassures you." Dr. Hikari suggested. He was glad to see Dingo look up again, with a faint smile on his lips.

"Thanks a lot." Dingo nodded. He walked back to the main lobby with the rest of the group, and parted from them with slight difficulty.

Dingo wasn't looking forward to the silence of his hospital bedroom. He didn't want to be left alone with his thoughts, even with Tomahawkman by his side. He knew that the Navi had the very same concerns in mind.

They wouldn't feel at peace until Laika was truly back amongst them.


	22. Chapter 22

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welcome back, Laika \o/   
> This chapter is guaranteed 99% emotional reunion scenes. Maybe it doesn't quite count as fluff, but it's as close to it as this fic will get :3c

Dingo spent as much time as he could by Laika's side. He brought his gaming console, a pile of comic books, and his PET with him, and sat down in the room's lone chair for hours on end. He would sometimes watch TV, and his near-daily meetings with Netto often happened in Laika's bedroom, rather than his own.

No matter how many times the nurses told him off for missing his checkups, or dragged him back to his ward for doctor appointments, Dingo invariably returned to his friend's room. He often dozed off in his chair, and woke up with a sore neck. Even the constant beeping of machines wasn't enough to keep him awake.

Searchman only accepted to go on short sleep mode rounds whenever Dingo was around. He also paid the NetPolice the occasional visit, hoping that helping them with the still unsolved case would make him feel useful.

Laika's appearance had changed considerably over the course of the past week. His skin was no longer pale as a ghost's, and his veins had sunk back underneath it, no longer pulsing with deep purple tones. The rings under his eyes were less visible, but he remained too thin for comfort. The oxygen mask was gone from his face, but he could still only be fed by tubes.

It was a rainy day. Dingo hadn't stepped outside much in the past week, and today wasn't going to be the day he took a walk outside. He sat in his usual chair by Laika's bed, a blanket covering his legs, his console in his hands. If he could at least beat this level, this day wouldn't have been a complete waste …

It took Dingo a moment to realize that something was wrong. When he finally looked up from his screen, he realized that the regular beeping was faster than before.

Dingo wondered if he should be calling the nurses. He saw Laika's eyelids twitch, and immediately forgot about the rest of the world.

The console slipped from Dingo's lap when the boy leapt from his seat. He rushed to the side of Laika's bed, not daring to touch any of the machines, or get too close to Laika's bed.

Laika's eyes finally opened. For a long moment, his eyes remained glassy and unfocused, his brain struggling to put the pieces of the puzzle together. There was too much light, too much white around him. He felt warmer than usual, too. He could hear a frantic beeping nearby, but it was fuzzy, as if it came from a distant room.

Laika's eyes slowly moved around, and fell on a familiar face. He recognized the red hair, the headband, the furrowed eyebrows.

"Dingo …" Laika croaked. This was probably just a dream. Laika remembered his countless nightmares, his brain never running out of horror scenarios. How many times had he pulled the trigger on this familiar face ? He wondered how this one would end. Maybe he would go insane in the next minute, and strangle his friend with his bare hands. Or maybe a knife would materialize in his hands. Or maybe-

"You're awake ! You're really awake !" Tears rushed to Dingo's eyes. He was unaware of Laika's thoughts, and finally dared to reach for his friend's arm, which was the closest to a hug as he could comfortably get. "Take your time, alright ?"

The warm touch of Dingo's hand tore Laika away from his thoughts. He didn't remember anyone touching him in his dreams.

The last thing he remembered was lying in his holding cell, after he had almost killed his captors. He remembered the Dark Aura burning through his veins, turning him into a mindless beast. His memories were a blur, but he remembered the sound of a gunshot, and a sharp pain in his leg.

"Dingo, you … need to stand back …" Laika felt a great sense of dread fill him. What if he was still dangerous ? He couldn't trust himself anymore. While he couldn't feel the Dark Aura's usual warmth, he only saw gruesome images whenever he looked at Dingo's face. "I am … dangerous …"

"What are you talking about ?" Dingo let go of Laika's arm, but he didn't move away. "You're safe here. And I'm safe too. We rescued you a week ago now, and Dr. Hikari’s been working on curing you. It’s all good !"

The information slowly travelled to Laika's brain. It broke through layers of insecurity, and Laika slowly accepted that this might be more than just an oddly sweet dream. The lack of a faint buzzing in his veins was reassuring, too. What's more, his body felt too heavy to move, let alone to attack anyone.

"You believe me now, right ? If I thought you were dangerous, I'd be watching you through a glass door." Dingo had a small smile. "Trust me. Everything's under control. And besides, I ain't gonna get on your bad side again anytime soon."

A heavy silence settled on the bedroom. Laika looked away, his eyes falling to the faint light that filtered through the window. He couldn't tell how long it had been since he had last seen the sky.

"Dingo, I … I apologize." Laika slowly forced himself to look at Dingo's face. He caught a glimpse of a fresh scar running across the boy's face, and wondered if he was to blame for this wound, too.

"You apologize ? For what ?" Dingo frowned. He saw Laika staring at his face, and brought a hand over his cheek to cover the scar. "Just so you know, that wasn't you. It was that stupid dude in the lab who tried to stab me with a hospital knife. But I'm not even mad at you for the other scars, really."

Dingo stared right into Laika's eyes, no longer caring if Laika saw him crying. He had to make things clear once and for all.

"It wasn't you who shot me. It wasn't the real CF Searchman. Everything that happened after Shademan caught you … It wasn't your fault. If anything, it was mine, because I couldn’t beat him … Actually, no. It's not your fault, and it's not mine. It's all _Shademan's_ fault."

Laika no longer dared to look away. Seeing tears roll down Dingo's cheeks made him wonder again if this wasn't just a strange dream.

"We're gonna make him pay. And now that you're awake, I'm sure we can start tracking down the human who's behind all this.” Dingo assured his friend, and angrily . “Which reminds me, I gotta call Searchman. He’ll wanna know you’re awake."

Dingo reached for his PET, and dragged Tomahawkman out of his nap.

"You'll never believe it." He exclaimed, a smile plastered on his drenched face. "You gotta tell Searchman to get back here, quick."

"Why are you crying ?" Tomahawkman questioned, very confused by Dingo's expression. Laika could be either dead or alive, according to which part of Dingo's face he stared at.

"He's awake ! So just call Searchman !" Dingo wiped his tears with his sleeve, and finally looked back at Laika. "Everyone's gonna be glad to have you back. I should probably tell the nurses that you're awake, too … But maybe you wanna have some time alone with Searchman first."

Dingo reached for Laika's PET, and set it by the soldier's hand.

"Searchman's on his way." Tomahawkman confirmed, his hologram appearing on Dingo's shoulder. The Navi wore a large, sincere smile. "It's really nice seeing you awake, Laika. We all knew you'd be fine, really, but still … Welcome back."

"Thank you." Laika gave a small nod. "If you don't mind … a moment with Searchman would be welcome."

"Yeah. I get it." Dingo made his way for the door. "I'll walk really slowly, then. Be right back."

Dingo waited for Laika to nod in reply, and headed outside as quietly as he could. This side of the hospital hardly received any visitors, much unlike the pediatric ward where Dingo stayed. It only gave him another reason to spend more time in Laika's room, and he didn't plan on stopping, even now that Laika was awake.

A heavy silence fell inside Laika's bedroom again, broken again by the enthusiastic beeping from the heart monitor. Laika took this moment to evaluate his own state, and was appalled by the look of his muscles.

It would take him months to get back in shape, if the damage could even be reversed. He felt a lot better than he did back in his holding cell, but his arms and legs were still too thin. With all the electrodes and tubes connected to his body, he couldn't even hope to move out of his bed.

Laika saw his PET's screen light up in the corner of his vision. With tremendous effort, he brought the device onto his chest, and saw Searchman's hologram appear over the PET's screen.

"I apologize for not arriving any sooner, Laika-sama." Searchman took a deep bow.

"You have nothing to apologize about." Laika replied, unable to stop his voice from breaking. "I am glad to see you again, Searchman."

"Likewise." Searchman slowly looked up, his red eyes filled with a joy that he couldn't describe. "I am at your service, as always."

Laika kept his reply to a nod. He felt tears start stinging at his eyes, as he remembered thinking that he would never see his Navi again. He knew for sure that Searchman had never lost faith, and wished that he could say the same.

They didn't need to exchange any more words. Laika and Searchman simply appreciated to be side by side again, operator and Navi, an unbreakable team. The silence that settled was not a heavy one.

Laika's rest was not very long. He heard the sound of many steps approaching, and only had time to brace himself before his bedroom door slid open, and Netto nearly threw himself at Laika.

"You're awake ! I knew you'd wake up someday, because you're too stubborn to die from just that, but I'm still really glad !" Netto burst out, a bright smile tugging at his lips. He was on the verge of tears as well. "I'm really glad."

Behind Netto stood Dr. Hikari, looking just as happy as his son, although he kept his joy in check.

"Welcome back amongst us, Laika-kun." Dr. Hikari set a hand on Netto's shoulder, mostly to keep the boy from accidentally knocking any of the instruments over.

"Thank you. It's good to be back." Laika nodded. He knew for sure that he owed his recovery so far to Dr. Hikari, and to the team of doctors and scientists who worked with Netto's father. And first of all, he owed his life to those who had rescued him - it made no doubt to him that Netto, and most likely Dingo were part of that force as well.

Another familiar face stepped into the room, and Laika added another name to his thank-you list.

"We're looking forward to working with you again." Enzan had a rare smile. He knew that Laika was just as determined as the rest of them. His recovery would be long and difficult, but nothing would keep Laika from returning to how he was before.

"I will do my best." Laika promised. Things could only get better from now on.

He finally spotted Dingo, who was leaning against the wall, letting everyone else get their chance at greeting Laika. Even from the distance, he could see the tears that flooded the boy's cheeks again. The NetSaviors were weakened, they were tired, but none of it mattered.

At last, they were all reunited.


	23. Chapter 23

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We hit 50k words with this chapter \o/
> 
> While I'm not a big fan of open endings, after discussing this matter with friends, I've accepted that this might be a better ending than a rushed "let's capture the enemy and never talk about them again !" type of plan. Let me know what you think !  
> And who knows, maybe someday I'll write a sequel to this story :3c

"Uno".

Dingo glared straight at his opponent, a deep frown tugging at his traits. He couldn't let Laika win so easily - not when he had already suffered two defeats in a row.

The two NetSaviors exchanged a long glance. Dingo had already picked his next card.

"Let's see what you'll do about this ! I want red !" Dingo claimed, slamming a color change card onto the pile. He had only one out of four chances of losing.

Laika waited for a few seconds. A mocking smirk tugged at the corner of his lips, and he set down his last card. A red 3.

"Three wins in a row." Laika stated, offering Dingo his most condescending glance. "Do you admit defeat yet ?"

Dingo had to stop himself from throwing his cards at Laika's face. He dumped them on the table instead, and threw his hands up in the air.

"Fine ! You win ! But I'm still coming back later to kick your butt at another game. Uno's just about luck, anyway."

Laika shook his head, his expression still smug. "Luck is only a sore loser's excuse. I expected better of you, Dingo."

In different circumstances, Dingo would have been extremely upset at the soldier's words. He had recently learnt that relying on luck alone wasn't entirely a bad thing.

"I'll beat you in a real fight, then. So you'd better get back in shape soon, 'cause I won't fight you if you're not at your very best."

Laika lost his mocking expression, in favor of a more genuine smile.

"I will do my best. In the meantime, I expect you to stay away from trouble. I can't be babysitting you on each of your missions."

"I never needed you to babysit me !" Dingo protested. "Besides, Netto's already said he'd come with me on my next mission. So you don't need to worry."

"Or rather, I'll need to worry twice as much …" Laika sighed. Netto was experienced in battle, but he and Dingo make quite the explosive duo. Laika felt almost glad that he wouldn't be there to see this unfold.

Dingo found no good retort against Laika's argument. He let a short silence settle onto the room, which was now devoid of any beeping monitors. Laika's condition had greatly improved over time, and while the soldier could still hardly stand up on his own two legs, his life was no longer in danger.

"It's gonna be weird, going back home." Dingo admitted, looking away from Laika's bed. The sun shone bright outside, the city bustling with life behind the windows. Dingo wasn't really looking forward to returning to his deliveries and dishes.

"You will be discharged later in the afternoon, right ?" Laika asked.

"Yeah. Maha said he'd pick me up." Dingo had an embarrassed chuckle. "He finally got the van back."

"The van that you stole, and had Searchman drive into the mountains." Laika recalled, unsure whether he should disapprove of Dingo's methods, or commend his creativity.

"Yep. That van." Dingo had a little wince. Maha hadn't yelled at him for stealing it, but the disappointment in the man's eyes had stung Dingo even more than being chewed out. At least Dingo hadn't tried to drive it all by himself …

"Anyways … I'm not gonna miss having to sneak around just so I can eat what I want." Dingo was looking forward to sitting in his usual chair, at the restaurant's counter, with a warm plate of freshly cooked curry in front of him. "But I'll bring you some of these curry buns Dekao makes !"

"I appreciate the thought, but I can survive on hospital food." Laika assured. It wasn't gourmet food, but Laika had never been used to extraordinary cuisine. Being in the military had taught him to appreciate even the simplest of meals, and his two weeks of captivity hadn't helped his appetite.

"Then I'll bring some for me when I visit you." Dingo shrugged. Sooner or later, he would make Laika understand the power of curry.

The sound of a PET's ringtone distracted Dingo from his food-related thoughts. Tomahawkman's hologram appeared on Dingo's shoulder, looking rather serious.

"I have an incoming call from Commissioner Kifune." Tomahawkman announced. He glanced at Laika, and figured that the soldier was entitled to hear the conversation, too.

"Answer it." Dingo replied, immediately bringing his PET in front of him. He turned around so that Kifune could see where he was, and who sat in the bed right next to him.

"Hello, Dingo-kun." Kifune greeted. He saw Laika sitting in the corner of the screen, and had another nod. "And Laika-kun as well. I was hoping to speak to the both of you, actually."

"Really ?" Dingo was surprised, and eager to hear more. "What's going on ? Did you find out anything ?"

"It's nothing substantial, but there has been progress. We have finally put a name on the criminal who escaped from our grasp, the night of Laika-kun's rescue. We’re hoping to have both of your feedbacks on the matter."

Dingo and Laika nodded in unison, and watched Kifune's face disappear, replaced by the picture of a young woman. She wore her hair in bun, and a tired looked shone in her light brown eyes. Rectangle glasses and a thin layer of makeup hardly hid the rings under her eyes.

"Her name is Andou Tsukiko. She was a researcher at the Ministry of Science, and despite her young age, she has already submitted several theses concerning the Cyberworld, and most specifically, the importance of the Undernet. She quit her position at the Ministry a few months ago, after a very heated conversation with her superiors. Her theories on Darkloids push us to believe that she has orchestrated Shademan's return, as well as the experiments conducted on Laika-kun."

While Dingo hadn't been able to see the woman's face when he met her, the information all seemed to fit. He turned to Laika, who couldn't tear his gaze away from the PET's screen.

"She made a point to disguise her appearance, but I believe that you have found the right person." Laika nodded. "She made it clear that Shademan's comeback was all her doing."

"Good." Kifune's relief was clear. "We will put all our resources into tracking her down, even if we have to investigate every nook and cranny of the Undernet for clues."

"We'll help !" Dingo interrupted, unable to contain himself anymore. Every fiber of his being was boiling with the need to be helpful.

Kifune had a soft chuckle. "Of course, we will be counting on the NetSaviors to help us with this mission. However, I believe that you have all earned a period of rest. Please allow my officers and their NetNavis to conduct the search."

Dingo slumped back in his chair, feeling slightly ashamed of his outburst. He had a quick glance for Laika, whose expression remained serious.

"I wish you a very good recovery, Laika-kun." Kifune said, offering Laika a gentle smile. "Please know that you will be welcome again amongst the NetSaviors' ranks, as soon as your condition allows for your return."

"Thank you very much, sir." Laika nodded as deeply as he could. "I will do my best."

"Then, I wish you both a very good afternoon." Kifune returned the nod, and ended the communication.

Dingo let out a long sigh. "Maybe you'll actually have time to recover, before we can go track down that bastard."

"While I wish to see her in jail as soon as possible … I would appreciate putting her there personally." Laika admitted.

Dingo gave a nod. He could only understand Laika's need to be part of this mission.

"I swear we're not going after her 'til you're with us. She's probably hiding on the other side of the planet, anyway." Dingo pointed out. He gathered the Uno cards, and shoved them in his sweater's pocket.

Laika looked to the side. He appreciated Dingo's enthusiasm, but in his opinion, it was all a delusion. The scientist was probably not going to resurface for years. She would be lurking in the shadows, wearing a new identity, maybe even a new face. If Laika had learnt one thing about his captor, it was that her determination equaled that of the NetSaviors'.

"I should get going." Dingo stood up from his chair, and headed for the door. "Maha's gonna drive back without me, if I'm not ready when he shows up. Besides, I'm pretty sure he's gonna try to throw me a surprise party, so I gotta pretend I'm surprised …"

Dingo saw Tomahawkman's hologram twitch at his words.

"So I'm right. He _is_ throwing a party." Dingo sighed. "Thanks for keeping the secret, Tomahawkman."

"Hey, don't go blaming me !" Tomahawkman protested. "You guessed it all by yourself !"

Laika watched the argument, torn between amusement and disapproval. He often wondered how these two had one of the highest Synchro Rates amongst the CrossFusion team.

"Anyways … I'll make sure to visit." Dingo opened the door, then turned to Laika, a smile tugging at his lips. "Take care."

"I will." Laika nodded. "Enjoy your party."

Dingo stuck his tongue at Laika, and slid the door close behind him again. He couldn't help a chuckle as he walked away, but a twinge of sadness soon tugged at his heart. As much as he hated to admit it, he wished that Laika could be partying with them as well.

"Just you wait, Laika …" Dingo mumbled to himself. "When _you_ get discharged, I'm throwing you the hugest party Densan City's ever seen.”


	24. Epilogue

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And with this short epilogue, we finally reach the end ;w; It's been an emotional journey, but I wanted to finish it on a relatively happy note. I love angst, but I also love the aftermath and recovery that comes after it ;w;  
> (And if you don't get the reference for the very last line, please watch Rockman.EXE Beast, episode 19 :P)
> 
> If you have read all the way to this chapter, congratulations, and thank you very much ♥ Please let me know all your thoughts in the comments, be it criticism on the portrayal, the story, the quality of the writing ... Every piece of feedback is useful, so that I can write better fics in the future \o/ 
> 
> I really hope that you enjoyed the ride, as much as I enjoyed writing it ! I'm glad that I could finally get this story out of my brain again. And because the ending is as it is, who knows ... Maybe someday I'll find the courage to write a sequel :3c

Laika remained hospitalized for a long month. He rarely had to spend an entire day alone, as his friends took turns in visiting him.

Princess Pride improvised a trip to Japan, under the guise of an official visit. She escaped her bodyguards' watch, and spent the entire day in Laika's company. She made Laika promise to call her every day, and the soldier happily agreed to do so.

Even Enzan carved some holes into his busy schedule, so he could pay his fellow NetSavior the occasional visit. He was often accompanied by Netto, who never missed a chance to come and see how Laika's health was improving, no matter how much homework time he had to sacrifice.

It was Dingo who visited Laika the most, and not only because he had the most free time, out of Laika's acquaintances. No matter which board game or video game he brought, Laika would always win. Dingo was never discouraged, but his efforts remained fruitless.

Laika worked hard on training his body, and shaping his muscles back into their original form. He slept nights longer than he ever had experienced in his life, and woke up every morning wanting to train even harder. The doctors were impressed with his progress, deemed worthy of a miracle.

His recovery was only harder on the psychological side. Laika was often woken up by terrible nightmares, and would sometimes remain paralyzed, unable to even call Searchman for help. The nightmares became more spaced over time, but Laika knew that they might never disappear.

The NetPolice was making no progress with their manhunt. Andou had disappeared into nature, but Laika had expected as much. Patience was one of his virtues, and he didn't care how many months, how many years he would have to wait. She couldn't hide forever.

Laika was discharged on a sunny, early autumn day. He hadn't been expecting anyone to come and pick him up, but he had planned to stay in Japan a little longer. He still had a long road to go before he could re-enroll in Sharo's army.

When Laika finally headed out of his bedroom for good, he found a lone visitor waiting in the lobby.

"You're coming with me." Dingo's tone left no room for negotiation.

Laika had a sigh. "I should have seen this coming."

He noticed a paper bag in Dingo's hands, and his glance wasn't lost on Dingo.

"Curry buns." Dingo stated, holding the back in Laika's direction. "Come on, try one. You owe me at least that, for all the times I let you win at games."

Laika scoffed. Deep inside, he did feel thankful for all the times Dingo had come to keep him company. Admitting defeat for once in his life, Laika reached into the paper bag, and grabbed a warm curry bun.

Dingo stared at Laika with obvious apprehension. He watched the soldier bring the curry bun to his lips, evaluate its scent, and finally take a bite.

Laika chewed on the curry bun a few times, and ate the rest of the snack in silence. It was only when he'd finished it, and wiped his hand with a napkin he produced from his pockets, that he looked down at Dingo. His serious expression was betrayed by the warm glint in his eyes.

"I still liked your curry better."


End file.
